‘Not optimal’… 24-year-old suggests Eddie Howe has played him too often at Newcastle this season

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Eddie Howe has had to over-rely on so many of his Newcastle United players this season.

The amount of injuries he has had to deal with has been astounding, while there has also been the Sandro Tonali situation that has helped derail Newcastle United’s season.

The Magpies’ squad has been stretched beyond belief, with multiple players having to rush back from injuries to make up the numbers.

One of those players is Alexander Isak, who has suffered multiple groin problems during the 2023/24 campaign.

It has not stopped him scoring goals, with the 24-year-old currently Newcastle’s top scorer with 16 in all competitions. He will wish he had scored more, but his numbers have been limited by the amount of games he has missed.

And he believes the injury issues have come from Eddie Howe playing him too much – not that the Newcastle manager has really had any choice.

READ MORE: Who is Alexander Isak? Age, Height, Family, Nationality, Roots

Alexander Isak opens up about ‘recurring’ groin injury

Isak has been speaking to SVT Sport in Sweden about his injuries this season, and believes he has had to play too much too soon at times.

“I’ve had problems with my groin, it’s been a bit recurring,” he said.

“The situation in the team does not help with the availability of players either. Many times I have come back from an injury and have had to play three games in a week, some 90 minutes and it is not optimal. 

“But at the same time we have had important matches.”

Newcastle have had no choice but to rush Alexander Isak back

There have been three separate occasions this season that Isak has been unavailable due to a groin injury. In total, he has missed 10 games in all competitions.

The Swede has suffered the same problem on more than one occasion, which pretty much sums up the problem. He has not had enough time to fully recover, which has resulted in him breaking down again.

But Newcastle and Howe have had no choice, and Isak recognises that. He knows his limited recovery time is down to the injuries of others, rather than negligence from the club.

Isak has been asked to go the extra mile, as he is one of just two strikers at Newcastle United. Callum Wilson has also had injury problems, and he also feels as if his fitness has been hindered by rushing back to compensate for someone else being out.

The amount of injuries Newcastle have had this season has been so damaging, and it is a wonder where he would be right now had all of our key stars remained fit and available.