Newcastle United managed to rescue what was heading towards being a disastrous season for the Tyneside club.

Having won just one Premier League game by January, the Toon ultimately finished 11th after only losing five games during the second half of the campaign.

One mam who the Magpies had to make do without for a significant period of time is Callum Wilson.

After scoring two goals in Newcastle's three opening league games of the season, the striker picked up a hamstring injury which kept him out for their next four games. The Englishman was then out of action for four months between January and April with a calf issue.

Ultimately, the 30-year-old ended the campaign with eight goals to his name in 18 league appearances. With that in mind, it could be argued that, had he been fit for the entire season, Newcastle could well have broken into the top half of the table for a finish.

Looking ahead to next term, it's safe to say that the striker will be hoping to avoid any more injury problems and play as much as he can for the team.

In terms of the current transfer window, one man with whom the Toon have been linked and who could give Eddie Howe the chance to form a scary duo with Wilson is Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz.

With 166 appearances to his name for the Serie A club, the Spaniard has scored 22 goals and delivered 15 assists along the way.

Labelled a "beautiful person" who has had a "spectacular" growth in terms of his play on the pitch by former Barcelona manager Quique Setien, Ruiz is currently valued at £49.5m by Transfermarkt.

Having racked up 80 shot-creating actions in his 32 Serie A appearances last season, and also the second-highest number of live-ball passes which led to a shot at goal (74) in Napoli's squad, he has shown how capable he is of creating goalscoring opportunities.

Having this sort of creativity next to a player like Wilson who can find the net on a regular basis would be an exciting combination for Howe and Newcastle moving forward.

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