Striker Alexander Isak is likely to be fit for Newcastle's home clash with Wolves tomorrow evening.
The Swedish international missed Sunday's FA Cup win over Bromley after suffering a minor hamstring problem during the 2-0 win over Arsenal in the UEFA Cup last week.
Isak has scored in seven successive Premier League games, helping push Newcastle to fifth in the table, and manager Eddie Howe is confident he will have his star player available.
“He will be excited to play, of course,” Howe said. “Those runs (scoring goals) I don't focus a lot on and I'm not very interested in them, but I understand that individuals will be very interested in them and I would like Alex to continue to score. I think the most important thing for me is that the team is working well.” Good for him and good for the team, the two things go hand in hand.
“He will be there or nearby. We haven't seen him train yet, but he will be (available). We have to be careful of course, but that's why I did what I did against Arsenal, to try to protect him and make sure we don't lose him. He's a valuable player for us. All It's okay, he'll be fine and he'll take his place in the team.
Eddie Howe on Alexander Isaacs:
“He will be desperate to play, of course. I would like Alex to keep scoring but the most important thing for me is that the team works well for him and he works well for the team. The two go hand in hand. We looked like we were scoring goals.. pic.twitter.com/w1ev2vNP7Y
– Newcastle United (@NUFC) January 14, 2025
The main trio will also likely appear
Sven Botman, Jacob Murphy and Joe Willock are also likely to return.
“We'll take a look at them again today,” Howe added. “They were left out (against Bromley) for real reasons, all different things, but nothing as major as we would hope. Problems so minor that we needed to sort them out. Hopefully they were there or nearby.”
Barnes hit
There was less positive news about winger Harvey Barnes, who is expected to miss the team for four weeks after suffering a quadriceps injury against the League Two side.
“Harvey will be missing for a while,” Howe said. “We don't think it's a serious injury, but it will be enough to keep him out for a few weeks. I think we're probably looking at about a month. Don't hold me to that, but that's kind of an early assessment.
“He's had a scan. Like I said, it's not too bad, but it will be enough to keep him out. It's an injury in his thigh, a muscle in his thigh. He did it through a ball at the end of the first half. He felt he could continue until half-time, but after It became clear in the first half that he would not be able to participate in the second half.