Woltemade set to join-up with Germany squad late after illness

Newcastle United striker Nick Woltemade has delayed his arrival for international duty with Germany due to illness.

The Magpies forward has been struck down by a flu virus, and will join up with the Germany squad later in the week, ahead of their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland, the national team confirmed on Monday.

The 23-year-old, who has quickly become a fan favourite since his summer move to Newcastle, has impressed with goals in both the Premier League and Europe, including one in Sunday's 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.

That goal saw Woltemade become only the third player to score in each of his first three home Premier League appearances for Newcastle, after Les Ferdinand in 1995 and Alan Shearer in 1996.

The club-record signing already has four goals in seven appearances for the club across all competitions, averaging a goal every 102 minutes in the top-flight, with a conversion rate of 42.9%.

"Nick Woltemade will not be arriving today due to a flu virus," read a statement from the German national team, which did not specify when the forward is expected to link up with his team-mates.

Germany will face Luxembourg at home on Friday before travelling to Belfast to take on Northern Ireland three days later.