Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak has been dealt another injury blow ahead of the restart of the Premier League season.
The 23-year-old has not played for the Magpies since mid-September, having sustained a thigh injury whilst on international duty with Sweden.
The attacker was expected to feature in October, but a recurrence of the same issue ruled out this possibility.
Following his side’s friendly against Rayo Vallecano, Eddie Howe was guarded when speaking about the 23-year-old’s return to fitness.
“With Alex, there was no fixed return date on him,” he said, as quoted by The Athletic.
“The medical team have tried to just look at his recovery day by day and just get him in the best physical shape he can be in the ideal time.
“Now, we hoped to have him fit and available for the Bournemouth game, but I think that is looking unlikely. So, then we’ll just have to take it on a game-by-game basis.”
Questioned further about whether Isak is out until the new year, Howe replied: “Erm… that could happen. Again, it’s a difficult one. We haven’t got a return date on him. He’s with the medical team at the moment and working hard, making good progress, but I can’t give you a return date.”
Isak may not be back until January
Since arriving on Tyneside in a club-record £63m move, Isak has not had the best of luck when it has come down to injuries.
To date, the Swede has only made three appearances for the Toon. Although he has returned two goals in those games, his overall stint thus far has been disappointing – down to the fact he hasn’t been available.
Despite this, in those three matches, the striker looked absolutely fantastic. His clinical finishing ability and eye for goal were evident, and his composure in the final third was equally as impressive.
With Callum Wilson’s injury issues, fans will be hoping this isn’t another case of the 30-year-old; he is electric when he plays, but that is not always a regular occurrence.
Hopefully with the medical team taking their time on the player, he will as good as new upon his return in 2023.