Medical Insider: Alexander Isak victim of ‘perfect storm’ as Newcastle United image emerges
Alexander Isak was the victim of a “perfect storm” at the beginning of the season and Newcastle United must manage his return to play very carefully.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
Isak has note featured for Newcastle since he suffered a hamstring injury on Sweden duty in September.
The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope reported earlier this week (6 December) that the 23-year-old was training away from the group during the club’s mid-season training camp in Saudi Arabia.
As quoted by the Chronicle the same day, Eddie Howe confirmed the striker will not feature in any of the upcoming friendlies but will try and have him fit for the League Cup against Bournemouth later this month (21 December).
“I think we forget now that Isak has been at the club for so long but he was sort of thrown into the deep end following his arrival at the club with Callum Wilson sidelined at the time.
“Players need the opportunity and time to adapt to the intensity of the Premier League. Isak came in and did a great job.
“Maybe the setback was partly because there was a change in load and environment then he went off to the national team. It accumulates and creates that perfect storm.
“What was initially believed to be a minor setback, now, with a couple of setbacks, turns into a fairly lengthy setback.
“While his availability was always questionable for these non-competitive games it was always the realistic goal for him to rejoin the group and undertake some big training to set him in good stead for the remainder of the Premier League season.
“The hope is that Callum Wilson comes back ready and fit for Newcastle and Eddie Howe can look to utilise Isak in the right way.
“It’s a very time-crunched environment, the pressure is always on and there’s the burden of expectation from supporters.
“If Wilson isn’t fully fit and Isak has been doing some work then there’s a temptation to utilise Isak sooner than you ideally would. It’s that risk and reward analogy that can be difficult to balance, especially when the fixtures are coming thick and fast.”
In other news, Leeds United are plotting a move to re-sign a £100,000-a-week star from Newcastle United in the January transfer window.