Newcastle United will be eager to have Alexander Isak and Joe Willock back in the squad for their upcoming Premier League match against Arsenal on Saturday evening. Isak, the club’s record signing, has missed the last three matches due to a persistent groin problem, while Willock has been out since November with an Achilles issue.
Eddie Howe acknowledged that both Isak and Willock were nearing a return and had a chance of being included in the squad for the recent 2-2 draw against Bournemouth. This indicates that their comeback for the upcoming trip to the Emirates next week is highly likely.
Newcastle United is currently facing a shortage of senior strikers with Alexander Isak out of action and Callum Wilson undergoing surgery for a pectoral muscle injury. In their recent match against Bournemouth, the team had to rotate Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes, and substitute Jacob Murphy in the central striker role. Gordon managed to score from the penalty spot, and Matt Ritchie secured a late equalizer in the 92nd minute after Bournemouth took the lead twice through Dominic Solanke and Antoine Semenyo.
Eddie Howe, speaking to NewcastleWorld, acknowledged the challenge they faced in the game and the need to find a better balance in the team. They experimented with different players in different positions to see if it would improve the match-ups. However, Howe admitted that missing a player of Isak’s caliber was far from ideal, as his qualities were sorely missed on the field.
“He [Alexander Isak] was close to returning, but unfortunately, not close enough, and the same goes for Joe Willock. We hope that in the near future, they can both play crucial roles for us.”
Eddie Howe further commented, saying, “We don’t have a recognized striker at the moment, but Anthony [Gordon] performed well. He had a couple of scoring opportunities, and he might be a bit disappointed with the one-on-one chance he had. The goalkeeper reacted quickly, denying him. That was probably his best opportunity, along with the early header. Anthony provided a different dynamic to our team, and overall, he performed admirably.”
