Eddie Howe issues 'big' Alexander Isak injury update ahead of crucial Newcastle vs Arsenal clash
Eddie Howe has issued an update on Alexander Isak, who suffered a groin injury during Newcastle United's clash against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. The 24-year-old striker, who was once heavily linked with a move to Arsenal, lasted no longer than a quarter of an hour before he was replaced by Callum Wilson.
Isak has suffered numerous groin issues this season and he was left out of the latest Sweden squad to get some rest. Speaking on TNT Sports, the Magpies boss confirmed that the knock 'doesn’t look serious' but it'll 'be enough to keep him out'.
Newcastle will lock horns with Wolves at Molineux this weekend and face Manchester United in the Carabao Cup round of 16 on Wednesday before welcoming the Gunners to St James' Park on Saturday – in 10 days. Howe said: «It looks like a recurrence of his groin problem. It doesn’t look serious but it will be enough to keep him out and it will be a big miss with his quality.»
Jacob Murphy also picked up an injury against PSG – a knock which Howe believes is 'quite serious'. He added: «With Jacob, it looks quite serious – dislocation potentially of his shoulder so that's never a good thing to see.»
Then, on the impact of the two injuries, Howe said: «That was the blow for us – we have a small squad as it is and with all the games we’ve got to come, that is probably the most disappointing thing from tonight.»
Howe was later quizzed on his overall analysis of the PSG fixture – and the Newcastle boss revealed where his side's weak points are. He said: «It was a tough game for us. I thought in the first half we were off where we needed to be.
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