Kieran Trippier will miss the remainder of Newcastle United’s October fixtures with a hamstring problem, but Alexander Isak is set to return against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Trippier was forced off in the 71st minute of Newcastle’s 0-0 draw at Everton before the international break and will be out for “a few weeks”, according to head coach Eddie Howe.
Callum Wilson and Lewis Miley are back training, however, and both have a chance of being involved in the squad against Brighton. The pair will be assessed, along with Isak, during training today.
“Kieran will miss out from this game,” Howe said. “He’s picked up a hamstring problem. We don’t think it’s necessarily too serious, but probably enough to keep him out for a few weeks.”
Isak missed the draws with Manchester City and Everton but, after Anthony Gordon deputised through the middle during those two matches, the club’s record signing is in line to return to the starting XI at St James’ Park tomorrow.
“Alex has trained and trained well, Howe said. “He trained the start of this week and has looked good, so at this moment in time he’ll be in contention.”
Wilson, meanwhile, has not played yet during this campaign due to a back injury he suffered during pre-season, which developed into a hamstring problem. But the 32-year-old has returned to training and will be gradually reintegrated over the next couple of weeks.
“Callum has also trained. But with Callum we’ll continue assessing him day by day,” Howe said. “We’ve got to make a decision on when we best reintegrate him into the group. It’s a day-by-day thing. The big thing with Callum is that, when we get him back, we want to keep him back for as long as possible. So we’ve got to make the right call.”
Miley has also yet to feature in 2024-25, but the 18-year-old has recovered from a broken foot and is also being assessed.
“Another player that has been back during the international break, has looked really good,” Howe said. “He looks like he’s not been away. He’s that kind of lad, very consistent. It’s just been great to see him. We’ve got to manage him in the right way.”
Sven Botman, who has been out with an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury since March, is making positive progress, but Howe does not expect to see him until Christmas.
“We’re looking beyond that,” Howe replied, when asked if the centre-back would return to first-team training before the November international break. “But he’s hitting the right strength markers, he’s looking really good. We probably won’t see him training until after the next international break. He is closing in but it’s a long road. The reality is we’re probably looking more towards Christmas time.”
(Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
