Eddie Howe’s selection concerns at Newcastle United continue to mount.
Alexander Isak is expected to miss up to a month after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night. Isak limped off after less than 15 minutes against his previous team, and was replaced by Callum Wilson.
Isak’s ailment was exacerbated when Jacob Murphy was forced off with an injury just moments after coming on as a substitute. After the game, Eddie Howe stated of the pair, “It’s very difficult to tell so early.” Alex appears to have a recurrence of his groin injury from international duty, while Jacob appears to have a shoulder dislocation, thus we are more concerned about Jacob.
“I’m completely heartbroken for him. We’ll see how terrible it is, but he’s been such a key player for us in a variety of roles.”
While an update on Murphy is anticipated, the Mail writes today that Isak may not be available until after the international break. That means he might miss Premier League games against Wolves, Arsenal, and Bournemouth, as well as a Carabao Cup meeting against Manchester United and the rematch versus Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.
With seven goals in all competitions this season, Isak is Newcastle’s leading scorer. In his absence, the Magpies will be left with only Wilson as their lone option up front.
Anthony Gordon has played in that position for England Under-21s and could be called on to fill it if necessary. However, that would leave them short of options on the left wing, especially after Howe announced that Elliot Anderson will miss time with a back injury.
“Yeah, it looks like he’s got a back problem,” Howe said of Anderson. “So he’s probably going to be missing a few weeks.”
With Murphy, Isak, and Anderson all expected to miss upcoming fixtures, the Magpies received some good news on Wednesday night as Joe Willock made his long-awaited comeback to the first-team. Willock replaced Murphy with 20 minutes remaining in his first appearance since May.
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