Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe provided a very informative and extremely relevant press conference yesterday. The Geordies boss gave updates on five injured players: Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles, Kieran Trippier and Lewis Hall.
Let’s start with Isak, as the star striker is obviously top of mind for most supporters. And there is good news there!
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“He’s fine,” said Howe of Isak. “On Sunday he was just feeling a bit fatigued and tightness, so we withdrew him. He has trained every day this week.”
He’s passed fit and ready to go. The news is polar opposite for Lewis Hall, as the left back is ruled out for the season, due to his foot problem.
“It’s really disappointing,” Howe said of this situation which is extremely devastating for the defender.
“At this moment of the season, we have the Cup Final, and Lewis also had possible international experience coming up. He was in really good form and playing well so it’s a big blow for him and us.”
Speaking of big blows, Newcastle will not appeal the Anthony Gordon red card. The stellar forward will miss the next three, including the League Cup Final.
“We discussed [the appeal] as a club, with the respected people that we need to discuss it with, lawyers etc.” Howe told the media.
“But we just felt that there probably wasn’t sufficient grounds to do that.”
Meanwhile the two long-term knee injury absentees, Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles, are both looking at May returns. On Botman, Howe said the following:
‘He was actually very close for Brighton, just the day before in training, he felt the same problem in his knee. So, looks like he’ll now have to have a small op just to clear out some fluid. We hope he should be back in about eight weeks.”
Regarding Lascelles, Howe said:
‘He is making good progress. He is back out on the grass but not training with the team yet. I would say he is really happy currently – he is super lean and super fit. He is now entering the last stage of his recovery, and hopefully we will see him soon.”
Finally, Kieran Trippier could be back here, provided he passes a late fitness test, as he’s recovering from a lower back problem.
“We still have two more training sessions before Monday night’s game, but at the moment, that would be enough [for them to play] and fingers crossed we can keep everyone else fit,” said Howe.
There are no other injury or unavailability concerns beyond these five players.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.