Eddie Howe insists Alexander Isak is NOT injury prone - despite Newcastle star's ongoing groin issue that reappeared ahead of Brentford victory

Eddie Howe says the conception of Alexander Isak being injury-prone is nonsense - and helium should know, fixed his ain fittingness issues arsenic a player.

The striker is presently nursing a groin occupation that flared up successful the warm-up up of Wednesday’s 2-1 triumph implicit Brentford, successful which helium scored his 20th league extremity of the season. However, lone Bruno Guimaraes and Dan Burn person started much top-flight games this term.

Isak’s aboriginal months astatine St James’ Park were plagued by wounded pursuing his accomplishment arsenic a £63million club-record signing successful 2022. Since then, his availability has improved play connected season, and helium is present the lone Newcastle subordinate to nett 20 times successful consecutive Premier League campaigns.

Howe recognises this and has deed backmost astatine the proposition of his prima subordinate being susceptible to injury.

‘Speaking connected my behalf, arsenic a precise injury-prone player, if you look astatine my record, that’s injury-prone!’ said the Newcastle boss.

‘Alex surely isn’t. He’s had issues with a groin occupation that tends to rear its caput each present and again. It came to the fore conscionable earlier we played Liverpool (in February) but, with rest, helium was good and bully to spell and played truly good successful the cupful last past month. 

'For immoderate reason, it did conscionable resurface earlier Brentford. It’s a precise insignificant occupation that volition spell distant rather quickly.’

Howe and his unit person worked with Isak to amended his robustness and the caput manager present considers the subordinate among his astir reliable.

‘He is precise professional, I person to accidental that,’ said Howe. ‘He has a physio that helium uses successful conjunction with the shot nine who he’ll alert successful and alert out, but we surely backmost that. We’ve got bully relationships with the radical that effort and look aft him.

‘Of course, we person our ain unit present who helium is precise adjacent with. It is astir gathering those relationships and that trust, truthful that helium knows we’re doing the close enactment for him and his body. 

'Then, of course, Alex has to beryllium nonrecreational successful the times erstwhile we don’t spot him. He has to look aft himself and dedicate himself to football. It is the lone mode helium is going to get to the implicit apical and maximise his career. There is loads much to travel from him, and I judge that with each player. If I didn’t, past I’d beryllium the incorrect manager for him.’

Howe added: ‘There is simply a story that, if you bid lightly and don’t bash excessively overmuch with them, past everyone volition beryllium acceptable for the Saturday. It’s really the other - you person to enactment your players and physique up their robustness. 

'So, erstwhile the crippled comes, they are capable to execute what they request to and they tin bash it with nary problems. It’s getting them connected the grooming crushed consistently. The players who miss grooming regularly, they go the occupation players. 

'Alex has been a regular trainer. He’s been determination and done the enactment and trained precise well. That has been reflected successful his performances.’