Newcastle United forward Yoane Wissa said he got goosebumps after making his long-awaited debut in Saturday’s 2–1 Premier League victory over Burnley at St James’ Park, highlighting the squad’s quality as a springboard for a strong season.

The 29-year-old DR Congo international joined Newcastle from Brentford in September for £55 million ($73.3 million), but a knee injury on international duty delayed his first appearance.

Wissa came on as a substitute in the 75th minute, replacing Nick Woltemade, to a warm reception from the home fans.

“It has been a long time coming,” Wissa told the BBC. “Over the last 11 weeks, I’ve been learning about the team and the players. It’s been a long road, but I’m happy in the end. It gave me goosebumps when I came on — I’m buzzing now. It can be an excellent season because we have so many quality players.”

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe acknowledged that Wissa, who scored 20 goals and registered five assists in 39 appearances for Brentford last season, will need time to regain full fitness.

“He’s a real lift to have such a quality player back in our ranks,” Howe said. “He’s quite a long way short of his best physical levels due to the injury and the time out. We’ll build him up slowly and try to get him back to his very best. But he’s a very exciting player to have.”

Wissa will not be leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations, as he was not included in DR Congo’s squad.

Newcastle currently sit 11th in the Premier League with 22 points from 15 matches and will next travel to Germany to face Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Wednesday.