Newcastle’s €60m summer signing pulls out of the Belgium squad, having trained twice since 17 October

Matias Fernandez-Pardo will not join up with Belgium this month. The Newcastle forward has been ill for weeks, and Mark van Bommel says the decision to sit out the international break was the player’s own.

Van Bommel named his squad for the Nations League games against Türkiye and Italy on Friday, and the €60m summer signing from Lille was not in it. The Belgium boss explained why at his press conference, and the detail will worry anyone hoping to see the 21-year-old at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

It also lands at an awkward moment for Newcastle, who head into the trip to Fulham without the suspended Jacob Ramsey and the injured Joelinton, after losing 1-0 at home to Everton on Monday.

Why is Fernandez-Pardo not in the Belgium squad?

Simply, he is not fit enough. Van Bommel said the forward has barely trained for almost three weeks.

“He was ill for a very long time,” Van Bommel said. “He has only trained twice since October 17th. As a result, he isn’t at one hundred percent, which is why he isn’t part of the squad. He still doesn’t feel quite right, so it was his own choice.”

That last line matters. Fernandez-Pardo is still part of Van Bommel’s plans, with seven caps since his debut in a 2-0 win over Croatia earlier this year, three of them at the World Cup. He has not started a game for his country yet, but nobody is suggesting he has been dropped. He has chosen to use the break to get himself right.

What has Jaissle said about the virus?

Matthias Jaissle gave a slightly brighter picture at his pre-match briefing on Thursday, a day before the Belgium squad came out.

“Matias Fernandez-Pardo has had a heavy virus, he has been out for more than two weeks,” the Newcastle boss said. “He is progressing and training again with us, we will have to see how he is physically before Fulham.”

Put the two together and the answer for Saturday looks fairly clear. A player who has trained twice in almost three weeks, and who does not feel ready for two international games, is unlikely to be risked from the start in London. A place on the bench is the best he can realistically hope for.

A difficult first few months on Tyneside

The illness is the latest setback in a tough start to life in the Premier League. Fernandez-Pardo arrived from Lille as one of the summer’s big signings, with the hope that he would add goals and give Jaissle another option on the left of the attack.

Instead, he has been used mostly as a striker, a role that has not suited him, and he is still waiting for his first goal after six appearances in all competitions. Missing two weeks of training only makes it harder to force his way back into the side.

For now, the No.9 shirt belongs to William Osula, who we backed to keep his place in our Newcastle predicted lineup vs Fulham, with Yoane Wissa pushing from the bench.

Who else is missing for Newcastle at Fulham?

Ramsey serves a one-match ban after his red card in the 1-0 defeat to Everton, and Joelinton is out again. “Joelinton went out with an injury again, we need to make the final treatment plan for him and see how long he will be out,” Jaissle said.

There was better news on Lewis Miley. “Lewis is getting better and better, showed a good reaction, he is making progress how I expected and wished for,” the German added. Tino Livramento (knee) and goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen (hamstring) remain out.

Kick-off at Craven Cottage is 3pm UK time on Saturday 7 November, the last game before the international break.

Verdict: Fernandez-Pardo needs this break more than Belgium do

It is the right call. Fernandez-Pardo needs a proper block of training far more than he needs 10 minutes off the bench in Belgium, and two clear weeks at the training ground give him the chance to come back fit for the run of games after the break.

Newcastle did not spend €60m on a player to watch him play catch-up all season. If the break gets him back to full strength, it could end up being the best thing that has happened to him since he arrived.