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Howe downplayed fears of a serious injury in the immediate aftermath.

Sky Sports provided a positive outlook on the injury situation earlier this week.

Now Eddie Howe has provided an official update, with the Magpies boss asserting that his star man is fit and ready to go despite some body tightness last weekend:

“He’s fine, Sunday he came off, he was just feeling a bit fatigued, I think, towards the end of the game, a bit tight in his body, so we withdrew him,” Howe explained as quoted by The Shields Gazette.

“I’m just trying to think back to this week, but I think he’s trained every day – he’s good.”

“Fingers crossed, yeah.

As I said, if he’s fit, he’ll play, because that’s the best way to get him in the best physical condition for future games.”

Howe added:

“Footballers are finely-tuned athletes, and when they’re ready to play, they have to play, and we have to give them that opportunity.

So, fingers crossed Alex will be fine.”

“I understand the intense speculation and spotlight on him, but the best thing we can do is just relax and let him play his football.”

“I think he’s very, very motivated to score, I think that’s one of the things that’s so good about him.

Goal-scorers have that mentality, he’s got it.”

The marksman’s 19 Premier League strikes this term are bettered only by Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah.

This week, David Ornstein confirmed that Liverpool are admirers of Alexander Isak.

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