Wimbledon handed Newcastle injury boost ahead of EFL Cup clash

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has confirmed that star striker Alexander Isak will miss the third-round rearranged EFL Cup tie with AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday night.

The game was scheduled to take place at Plough Lane last Tuesday, but extensive flooding and damage to Wimbledon’s pitch and concourse meant the clash had to be postponed.

It was quickly rearranged for Tuesday night at St James’ Park.

The 25-year-old striker missed Newcastle’s 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City on Saturday. 

Sweden international Isak was able to play 90 minutes in the 3-1 defeat at Fulham but has now trained just once since.

“He definitely won’t feature on Tuesday,” said Howe.

“Let’s see how he looks for Everton. 

“Of course, there is an international period coming up after that, and he’s an international player, so we’ll see the implications of all that, but we’ll make decisions during this week.

“It’s not a serious injury, but it’s a niggly one that is obviously preventing a key player from playing for us.”