Newcastle striker Yoane Wissa is “getting closer” to making his debut for the club.
The former Brentford man picked up a knee injury on international duty for DR Congo in September before he could kick a ball for the Magpies.
Newcastle face Burnley at St James’ Park on Saturday and Howe indicated Wissa is progressing well.
Boss Howe said: “He’s getting closer. We did an 11-v-11 game sort of for him on Wednesday and that was good, that was more minutes for him.
“He played around about half-an-hour. He did well, so we’ll see how he is today. Touch wood, so far he’s looked good and he’s come through everything.
“I always say in these situations, we still have training today and we’ve got to make a decision as to whether he’s ready to not just be fit, but be fit to make a difference and fit to perform to his highest levels.”
However, Howe remained tight-lipped about whether Wissa could make the bench for Saturday.
“I don’t know, let’s wait and see,” Howe said. “We have a training session today and I’ll assess all the players.
“It will be a big boost for us and a big boost for the squad to have someone of his experience, calibre and quality back in the group.
“We’ve just got to be mindful of the length of time he’s been out and the lack of training he’s had, because normally we’d want to give him more before we put him back onto the pitch.”
