Muto will miss five games after getting Asia Cup call-up
Newcastle United’s need for attacking reinforcements has been highlighted further by the news that Yoshinori Muto could miss five games in the New Year.
The Magpies are set to be without the striker for most of January after he was called into Japan’s Asian Cup squad.
The Newcastle forward was not named in Hajime Moriyasu’s initial 23-man squad, but has now been called up for the Cup, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates from January 5 to February 1.
He will join up with his international colleagues after the Magpies’ home game against Manchester United on Wednesday, January 2, and could miss four league games as well as the Emirates FA Cup tie against Blackburn Rovers.
The 26-year-old - who joined Newcastle from Mainz 05 in the summer after playing in the 2018 World Cup finals for his country - has scored just once in 11 appearances so far for Rafa Benítez’s side.
His only goal came at Old Trafford, one of five starts Muto has made since his summer switch, with Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez establishing themselves as Rafa Benitez’s No 1 strike partnership.
However, Muto’s absence will leave just Joselu as backup unless Newcastle move swiftly in the transfer market.
Benitez has spoken of his desire to get players signed quickly in January, rather than wait until the end of the month as Newcastle did last year when Islam Slimani, Kenedy and Martin Dubravka came in just before the window closed.