Newcastle hope for Isak’s quick recovery after injury at Palace

The injury that forced Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak off the pitch during Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace in the Premier League was not major, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said.

A struggling Newcastle, who had no shot on target during the match where they led thanks to Palace defender Marc Guehi’s own goal, settled for a point after Daniel Munoz equalised in added time.

“It was a contact injury, not a muscle pull, which is good news for us. We hope he will recover quickly but at this moment I don’t know,” Howe said about Isak.

Injuries to strikers have hindered 10th-placed Newcastle throughout this season, with England international Callum Wilson missing four months with a back injury.

Wilson, who returned to action in Monday’s 2-0 loss to West Ham United, was not ready to come on in the first half to replace Isak, Howe told the post-match press conference.

“Obviously, he has minimal training time and I have to be really, really careful I don’t push him and lose him,” he said. “So I didn’t feel bringing him on at that stage with the minutes we had left of the game was something I could do.”

Howe rued the continued impact of injuries in the team’s performance ahead of a difficult December.

“We look a bit low on confidence and losing Alex was a huge blow to that,” the manager said.

Newcastle host leaders Liverpool on Wednesday.