Alexander Isak ruled out of Al-Hilal and Rayo Vallecano friendlies as Howe issues injury update

Eddie Howe has issued an update on Alexander Isak’s fitness today, all but confirming that our club record signing will NOT feature in upcoming friendlies against Al-Hilal and Rayo Vallecano.

The boss insists that the Swede hasn’t suffered any setback, however it seems the club are taking a cautious approach to his comeback given the previous recurrence of a thigh injury in October.

This does mean he’s facing a race against time to be fit for competitive games against Bournemouth – in the Carabao Cup – and Leicester City on Boxing Day, although Howe is hopeful he’ll be “very close” to making a comeback at that point.

Speaking to the press from our training camp in Saudi Arabia, here’s what Howe had to say when asked if Isak will feature against Al-Hilal or Rayo Vallecano:

“I don’t expect him to feature in those games.

“We’ll try and get him for Bournemouth or Leicester, but we’ll have to see how it goes.

“He’s doing well. This was the plan. We didn’t expect him to train with the group when we first started training so he’s with the sports scientist team and physios.

“We’re building him up in a controlled way, and we expect him to be very close for Bournemouth or Leicester. We’re not sure if he’ll be fit or available for those games yet.

“There’s no setback. There was an initial setback when he re-injured his thigh, and, as a consequence of that, we just want to make sure we get him fully fit.

“He’s a player we’ve really liked, and missed and he’ll give us lots of qualities we feel the team needs. We’re really excited to try and get him back.”

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

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