Eddie Howe has revealed that he’s still unsure if Alexander Isak will be fit to face West Ham this weekend.
He’s confirmed that the striker showed “slight signs of concussion” on Tuesday night and is “not sure” if our club record striker will be able to play this weekend.
Who knows, Howe could be keeping his cards close to his chest, giving David Moyes something to think about in the build up, but he will be forced to sit out Saturday’s game if concussion has been confirmed.
Elsewhere, Anthony Gordon and Harrison Ashby are both available and could come into the squad after they “trained well” yesterday.
Bruno Guimaraes starts a three-game ban and will be absent, while Javier Manquillo, Emil Krafth (ACL) and Matt Targett (heel) have all been ruled out, with the former out for ‘three to four weeks’ after picking up an injury in training.
Here’s what Howe had to say on all of the above when speaking to the press this morning:
Howe on Anthony Gordon and Harrison Ashby:
“Both are available and have trained well.
“Both players will be available. They did a couple of individual sessions around the game and trained with the group yesterday. It was a small group so they haven’t trained fully with the team but they’re fit and fine.”
Howe on Alexander Isak:
“Alex made a vital contribution in that moment. He was able to jump & block the free-kick but took a blow to the side of the head & had very slight signs of concussion. We’ve followed all the protocols but whether he’ll be available, I’m not sure.”
Howe on Bruno Guimaraes:
“We’re going to miss him massively. The timing of it is difficult. We had a really intense period of games and now we don’t. The good thing is he will be available for the final. I think he’s a huge player. Whenever you lose one player, you have to readjust. It’s an opportunity for the team to regroup, and find another way.“
“We have Elliot Anderson who we really, really like, and we’d love to see how he develops his PL career. We have other players who can play in midfield as well.”
