- Alexander Isak was forced off against Crystal Palace with a blow to his hip
- Newcastle United's top scorer has spoken about his fitness
- Eddie Howe was not as optimistic as Isak
Newcastle United's star forward Alexander Isak has revealed that he will be available for the visit of Liverpool on Wednesday night, although his manager Eddie Howe wasn't quite as optimistic.
Isak was forced off midway through the first half of Newcastle's 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday after a meaty collision with left-back Tyrick Mitchell. The 25-year-old had recently discovered his best form, racking up four goals in his previous five appearances for the Magpies before the trip to Selhurst Park.
In an exclusive interview with beIN Sports this week, Isak declared himself fit and available. "I am fine," the Sweden international told Andy Kerr. "It was really painful, a bad knock, but I've responded well."
When asked if he would lineup up against Liverpool at St James' Park, Isak shrugged: "That's the plan."
Immediately after the match on Saturday, Newcastle boss Howe said: "It was a contact issue, not a muscle pull which is good news for us. We hope he'll recover quickly but at this moment we don't know."
On Tuesday morning, Howe revealed that Isak still hadn't returned to first-team training. "We don't think it's a long-term injury," was all the manager could offer.
Howe turned to the winger Harvey Barnes as Isak's in-game replacement, shifting Anthony Gordon through the middle even though he had centre-forward Callum Wilson on the bench. The injury-riddled striker was called upon for the final 15 minutes but has only just returned from a lengthy fitness layoff of his own and may not be fit enough to start against Liverpool.
Isak was hailed as one of the best strikers in the world by Howe earlier this season. That lofty valuation appears to be shared by several interested Premier League clubs.
