Newcastle have named Alexander Isak in their starting XI for tonight’s Premier League clash against Leicester, but Anthony Gordon remains on the sidelines.
The Magpies returned to action for the first time since their Carabao Cup triumph with a battling win over Brentford last week, one that leaves them sixth in the Premier League table and only three points off the top four.
Isak scored the opening goal in that match but was forced off in the second-half, with Howe revealing in his press conference on Friday that the striker picked up a slight issue in the warm-up.
Kieran Trippier, meanwhile, went off against the Bees with what appeared to be a groin issue.
"We'll wait and see today, I will see them [Trippier and Isak] for the first time today,” Howe said on Friday. “Hopefully they’re feeling ok, we don’t think we’ve got any big injuries from Wednesday night, but we’ve certainly got a few niggles so let’s wait and see.”
The good news is that both players start for Newcastle at the King Power Stadium as Howe’s side look to leapfrog Manchester City in the table.
Gordon was also a pre-match doubt, but the winger hasn’t made the matchday squad as he is still struggling with an issue he picked up while on international duty.
The 24-year-old came on as a substitute for England against Albania but suffered a knock that left him with significant bruising and saw him return to his club.
Asked if Gordon has now returned to full training, Howe said: “He hasn’t yet. Another one we're monitoring.
“We think he's still recovering from a really, really bad knock he got for England, which he's still got huge bruising on his leg. He's done individual training. He's not done group training.
“He's still not feeling 100% pain free so, again, let's wait and see.”
Joelinton has also been contending with a slight issue, but as expected, it has not ruled the Brazilian out of the match against Leicester.
“Knowing Joey we will see him want to train today and he’ll say he’s fine,” Howe said.
