The Alexander Isak injury claim Eddie Howe agrees is 'nonsense' amid Newcastle United concern
Alexander Isak has scored 59 goals in 101 appearances for Newcastle United since joining almost three years ago.
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has dismissed suggestions that Alexander Isak is injury-prone, agreeing it is a myth.
lsak is a doubt for Monday’s Premier League trip to Leicester City after feeling his groin as the Magpies warmed up for their 2-1 win over Brentford on Wednesday. He started and opened the scoring in the game before withdrawing around the hour-mark.
The Sweden international missed the 2-0 defeat at Liverpool in February with the same problem but returned for the next game against Brighton & Hove Albion. Earlier in the campaign, he missed three matches with a broken toe and another with a minor issue.
Is Alexander Isak injury-prone? No!
Asked if suggestions of Isak being injury-prone are a ‘myth’ and ‘nonsense’, Howe replied: “I’d say speaking on my behalf, as a very injury-prone player, if you look at my record, that’s an injury-prone player! Alex certainly isn’t.
“He’s had issues with a groin problem that tends to rear its head every now and again. It came to the fore just before we played Liverpool but, with rest, he was fine and good to go and played really well in the cup final.
“For whatever reason, it did just resurface before Brentford. It’s a very minor problem that will go away quite quickly.”
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A month or so after joining from Real Sociedad for a club-record £63million in August 2022, Isak was sidelined for around four months with a thigh problem before returning to help United secure Champions League qualification. Last season, the Swede missed a handful of matches at various points because of a groin issue.
However, Isak’s injury has been significantly better this campaign, missing only five of the Magpies’ 39 matches in all competitions. His goal against Brentford in midweek was his 20th league goal of the term, which saw him become the first Newcastle player to score 20+ goals Premier League in consecutive seasons.
Alexander Isak appearance record for Newcastle United
“It’s something we work on physically with all our players,” Howe added. “There is a myth that, if you train lightly and don’t do too much with them, then everyone will be fit for the Saturday. It’s actually the opposite - you have to work your players and build up their robustness so, when the game comes, they are able to execute what they need to execute and they can do it with no problems.
“It’s getting them on the training ground consistently. The players who miss training regularly, they become the problem players. Alex has been a regular trainer. He’s been there and done the work and trained very well. That has been reflected in his performances.”
Isak’s 34 appearances this season is already six less than last year - bearing in mind Newcastle had extra games because of the Champions League - and six more than 2022-23.
Howe added: “Regarding Alex, he has his own, I wouldn’t say physio, but he has a physio that he uses in conjunction with the football club that he’ll fly in and fly out but we certainly back that. We’ve got good relationships with the people that try and look after him.
“Of course we have our own staff and several staff members here who he is very close with. It is about building those relationships and that trust so that he knows that we’re doing the right work for him and his body and then of course Alex has to be professional himself in the times when we don’t see him.
“He has to look after himself and dedicate himself and dedicate himself to football. It is the only way he is going to get to the absolute top and maximise his career.”