Alexander Isak is a major doubt for Newcastle’s visit to Manchester City after scans revealed a broken toe.
Mailsport reported last week that the Swede was struggling with a fresh toe complaint and that his participation at Fulham would be considered late. He went on to play the full match during a 3–1 defeat, but felt pain in the area.
Isak has not trained so far this week and Eddie Howe says a decision needs to be made on whether the striker’s long-term health is at risk.
“He’s had scans and a lot of tests,” Howe said. ‘The injury has been diagnosed well. It sounds worse than it is, but he has a broken toe.
‘It’s one that you can deal with and play with, provided he can tolerate the pain levels, and doesn’t pose any long-term risks. He was given an injection to numb the pain, which was fine until the injection wore off (at Fulham).”
Alexander Isak is a major doubt for Newcastle’s match against Manchester City on Saturday
Head coach Eddie Howe has confirmed that scans of the striker’s foot revealed a broken toe
Howe added: ‘He would be a doubt for tomorrow (Man City). He trained last week for the Fulham match on Friday. He got an injection in his toe to play and he felt fine, but then he started feeling his toe in the last five to 10 minutes of that game.
“It stiffened up a bit after the game and wasn’t in a great spot early in the week. He hasn’t trained yet, so we will have to decide again whether he trains today or misses the match.’
If Isak misses the ball – Callum Wilson also remains offside – it means that Anthony Gordon will replace the centre-forward.
Howe said: “With Anthony we’ve always seen him as our third striker in a way. He will play very differently to Callum and Alex because he is not your absolute leader, but he is very smart in what he does when he plays that role.
“I think he did well in the second half against Wolves, he’s more of a wanderer in terms of position so he won’t necessarily be the centre. But he certainly has the pace to get in the back and the ability to link play, so he will play it a little looser but can still be very effective.”
In the meantime, Howe hopes that Gordon will then put pen to paper on a new contract Mailsport announced this week that talks had progressed and an agreement was close.
Isak has not trained this week and Howe said a decision needs to be made about his long-term health
Anthony Gordon will replace the No. 9 role, while Callum Wilson is also sidelined
The winger has been unsettled in recent months after the club floated the idea of selling him to Liverpool to solve their PSR problems.
‘We love Antonius. We would like to see him secure his future here. “We would like to see him stay at Newcastle long-term and continue his excellent start to his career here,” he said.
“If you look at the wider part of what he has done since he arrived at the football club, I think he has been fantastic for us. We must try to help him return to his very best level. And if that means signing a new contract then I’m all for that, to help him settle down and focus on his football.”