Newcastle United journalist Miles Starforth has relayed an injury update regarding Alexander Isak ahead of the Magpies’ Premier League clash against Bournemouth.
During Newcastle’s 2-1 win over Southampton in the Carabao Cup, the striker suffered a possible concussion after being struck in the head by a James Ward-Prowse free-kick.
This then led to him missing out on the Toon’s previous Premier League match against West Ham United.
With Newcastle now set to take on the Cherries in their next league outing, an update has emerged on Isak’s fitness and availability for the south coast clash.
In a recent Twitter post, Starforth had this to say on the matter following on from Eddie Howe’s latest press conference.
He said: “Alexander Isak will return to the squad for the Bournemouth game after missing last weekend due to concussion protocols. Eddie Howe says he’s ‘fully recovered’. #nufc.”
Having spent a large chunk of the season out with a hamstring injury, it’s a shame that this blow to the head has further impacted his playing time.
However, given the seriousness of head injuries, it’s understandable why the club didn’t risk playing him against the Hammers last weekend if he wasn’t fully fit.
Now that the striker has recovered, it’ll be great for him to get back on the pitch and helping his team.
Despite his limited playing time, the 23-year-old has still managed to show how much of a useful figure he can be, particularly in front of goal.
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Specifically, with three league goals to his name in five appearances, the Swedish international has the highest rate of shots on target per 90 minutes (2.22) at Newcastle as well as the highest rate of goals per shot (0.22).
Looking ahead to Saturday’s game against Howe’s old club, having Isak available in the squad will surely give the Toon a great chance of securing a win given the threat he has in front of goal.