Newcastle United play against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup this weekend, where Alexander Isak could be set to make his comeback from injury.
The Swedish striker has not played for the Magpies since September, and has only made three appearances since his club record £63million move from Real Sociedad.
Isak got his Toon career off to a bright start with two goals in three games, but a thigh injury has forced him out of action.
The Telegraph reported earlier in the week that he had now returned to training, and could feature against Sheffield Wednesday in the cup on Saturday evening.
Now Eddie Howe has provided an update on the 23-year-old, and the noises are very positive.
Isak could now play vs Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday night
Ahead of the game against the Owls, Howe has completed his pre-match press conference where he addressed Isak’s fitness.
“Let’s get through training today,” Howe said.
“I’m not clear – I just don’t want to put pressure on him and we want to introduce him at the right time. He’s getting closer all the time and he has trained. Let’s wait and see.”
Howe certainly has not ruled Isak out, which suggests that he has a real chance of being involved in the third round of the FA Cup.
And Telegraph reporter Luke Edwards, who broke the news about Isak’s return to fitness, believes that the forward is eager to play on Saturday.
He wrote on Twitter: “See this story confirmed by Howe this morning. Personally, I hope he is involved in some capacity against Sheffield Wednesday. I’m told he would like to be.”
The fact that Isak would like to play suggests that he feels ready to return to first-team action. His last appearance was on September 17th in a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth. Isak scored on that day, finding the net with a penalty.
It has been a frustrating start to life on Tyneside for Isak, but he is reportedly looking better than ever in training. He could be a real asset in the second half of the season.
The FA Cup clash with Sheff Wed is a great chance for him to get some minutes under his belt. A cameo off the bench would certainly suffice, and put him in contention for the Carabao Cup squad for the quarter final contest with Leicester on Tuesday.
Fixtures are coming thick and fast for Newcastle, and Howe will be keen to shuffle his pack as best he can. Having Isak available for the first time since September is a huge boost, and hopefully we see him feature on Saturday night.
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