Newcastle United are hoping to see Islam Slimani in action soon.
According to the Daily Star, Newcastle United face a club-versus-country battle with Algeria over Islam Slimani’s status during the upcoming international break.
The Magpies were looking for a new striker during the January transfer window, and moved to land one on deadline day, bringing in Slimani on loan from Leicester City until the end of the season.
The 29-year-old forward may not have lived up to expectations with Leicester, but his goalscoring record with Sporting in Portugal – 57 goals in 109 appearances – was hugely impressive, giving Newcastle fans hope that they would finally see a goalscorer.
However, Slimani has yet to even make an appearance for Newcastle having arrived with an injury and then suffered a setback, meaning he is still waiting for his Magpies debut.
Newcastle will be desperate to see the target man in action sooner rather than later to aid the club’s battle against relegation, but Rafael Benitez and co are set for more concerns over the loanee.
The Daily Star report that Algeria want Slimani to join up with the national team during the international break later this month, and hope that he could even play against Gambia or Iran.
Newcastle unsurprisingly aren’t keen on Slimani heading off travelling when he has been injured of late, and are allegedly seeking assurances that he won’t return with another injury.
Magpies fans will be crossing their fingers and hoping for the best, as a fully fit Slimani could give Newcastle a real edge in the battle against the drop.
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