Eddie Howe faced the media ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Anfield and provided an update on a few worrying injuries.
Allan Saint-Maximin pulled up towards the end of the Wolves game with what looked to be a hamstring injury, as did Kieran Trippier who left the last-minute free-kick to Fabian Schar, however, one of those injuries may not be as bad as we’d feared with Howe saying: “Maxi is a worry for us at the moment with a hamstring. It was late in the game off the back of a sprint to try and save a goal. Kieran Trippier should be fine.”
Bruno Guimaraes seems to be doing all he can to be fit, but Liverpool might just come a bit too soon for him unless Howe is playing mind games, as he said “He’s doing well. I don’t know about this game but hopefully not far after if he doesn’t make it. He’s very positive, in good spirits and he’s desperate to get back. He’s a big player for us so we need to get him back as quickly as possible.”
That “if he doesn’t make it” sounds like quiet confidence but he’s not wanting to give too much away. Fingers crossed I’m not just reading too much into this.
Howe also confirmed that Emil Krafth’s injury he suffered against Cobra Kai Tranmere is going to keep him out for a long time: “It’s an ACL injury. He’s not been operated on yet so it’s difficult to give a firm date but it’s going to be six to nine months. A long time out which is a huge blow to us.” Whether this affects Newcastle’s transfer business in the last days of the window is something to keep an eye on.
We also got an update on Isak as Howe was asked about the Swede’s availability: “I still don’t know. I desperately hope so – it’d be great to see him involved. We’re in the hands of other people so we hope it gets done before the game. The cut-off is 75 minutes before kick-off so it could go down to the wire.”
HOWE MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT EDDIE?