Alexander Isak has missed two games with a groin injury (Picture: Getty)
Newcastle will still be without Alexander Isak for their weekend Premier League clash with Bournemouth but Eddie Howe believes his star striker is ‘very close’ to a return.
Isak has missed the last two games due to a groin injury after he was withdrawn in the first half against Aston Villa in late January.
Newcastle are already short of striking firepower after it was confirmed on Thursday that Callum Wilson is set for another long spell on the sidelines due to surgery on his pectoral tendon.
And that was compounded with the news that Isak won’t quite be ready for the visit of Howe’s old club to St James’ Park.
‘Probably not [available] for the weekend,’ the Magpies boss said when asked about Isak’s availability at his pre-match press conference.
‘He’s very, very, very close and looking really good. I’m really pleased with the progress he’s made. Mentally he looks good so let’s wait and see.’
Elsewhere, the Englishman confirmed that Jacob Murphy has not trained during the week and that Joe Willock was still not quite ready for a return to first-team action.
Callum Wilson is set for another long spell on the sidelines (Picture: Getty)
‘He’s knocking on the door, very close, looking good and feeling much better,’ Howe said of Willock. ‘Another huge player that we’re desperate to get back. He’s close.’
Wilson’s aforementioned injury, meanwhile, will leave the striker out for 12 weeks, with Howe hoping the Englishman could return before the end of the season.
‘It’s a really strange injury. He got into a tussle with the centre-back at the very end of the game,’ the 46-year-old explained.
More Trending
‘Initially, I thought it was a shoulder problem but it’s a muscle in his pec. We’ve had it scanned and he felt good actually but when he went to see a specialist it was apparent quite early that he needed to be operated on and that’s happening as we speak.
‘He’s desperate to do well and score goals so he’s very disappointed. We hope he’ll be back before the end of the season. I’d never rule anything out with Callum.’