FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Carabao Cup - Semi Final - First Leg - Arsenal v Newcastle United - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - January 7, 2025 Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Ian Walton/File Photo
(Reuters) - Newcastle United's leading scorer Alexander Isak will sit out Sunday's FA Cup third-round clash with fourth-tier side Bromley after the Sweden striker was injured during Tuesday's 2-0 League Cup win over Arsenal, manager Eddie Howe said.
Isak, who scored his 50th goal for Newcastle in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final tie, was forced off the field in the second half.
"We think he's pretty good. He's seeing his physio at the moment. I've given him a couple of days' rest, but he is in a good place and will report back tomorrow," Howe told reporters on Friday.
"It doesn't look like a serious injury, not from the initial assessments. But fingers crossed."
Isak has struck 10 times in the last nine appearances for Newcastle, helping the club win seven straight games in all competitions as they climbed to fifth in the Premier League, just a point below fourth-placed Chelsea.
The 25-year-old, who joined Newcastle in 2022 for a club record 63 million pounds ($78.95 million), is the joint third top scorer in the league this season with 13 goals, five behind Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.
"We would've probably involved (Isak) in this game in some way, but with what has happened, he'd be given this game to rest and get himself right for the future schedule that we have," Howe added.
Newcastle will host Wolverhampton Wanderers in a league game on Wednesday, followed by matches with Bournemouth and Southampton later this month.
"The feeling in the group is really strong at the moment, as you can imagine," Howe said.
"We are in a busy spell of fixtures. We're trying to win as many games as possible to continue that form and see where we end up."
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
