Newcastle United will make a late call on Alexander Isak’s involvement against Fulham this afternoon (kick-off 3pm).
The Magpies won 2-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers last Sunday despite Isak withdrawing at half-time. The Sweden international picked up both an eye and toe injury towards the end of the first-half.
“I’ll find out more today,” said United boss Eddie Howe on Friday. “It was a strange one as the ball just grazed his eye and we felt at that time that was the main reason for him coming off the pitch. Then he had a knock to his foot as well so he’s got a combination of the two.”
Isak’s potential absence will see either Anthony Gordon or Will Osula deployed as the central striker with Callum Wilson ruled out until after the October international break.
The England international hasn’t played for Newcastle since the 4-2 win at Brentford on the final day of last season after sustaining a back/hamstring injury during the second week of pre-season.
“Any injury to the hamstring is potentially complex,” said Howe. “There’s no re-injury, it’s just a case of re-adjusting the timescale really depending on how he felt. We’ve had to listen to his body when he’s delivered the work. He’s been re-scanned and it’s maybe not healed as quickly as we hoped. A slight adjustment but hopefully we’ll have him back fully fit and firing for the next group of games which will be really important.
“We have missed him. I think we’ve really missed his energy and what he brings to the squad and we’ve missed the competition that he brings.”
Here’s a full look at the early team news from both Newcastle and Fulham ahead of the Premier League meeting at Craven Cottage.
Lascelles is unlikely to return until early 2025 as he recovers from an ACL injury.
1. Jamaal Lascelles – out
Botman, who is also sidelined with an ACL injury, is “slightly ahead” of Lascelles, according to Howe. The suggestions are he could return in December.
2. Sven Botman – out
Botman, who is also sidelined with an ACL injury, is “slightly ahead” of Lascelles, according to Howe. The suggestions are he could return in December