An update has emerged on Newcastle United centre-forward Alexander Isak and his road to recovery from a hamstring injury...

What's the latest?

Magpies boss Eddie Howe has confirmed that the striker is due to return to training during the World Cup break and that he should be in contention to play when the Premier League returns in December.

He told reporters, via the Shields Gazette:

“I think he had a scan the other day on his injury, and it looks good. It looks like it’s healed.

"Now the process starts of building him up, making sure that he’s robust enough to come through training. I’m not sure he’ll join in with us initially, but we hope, by the time the games start, he’s available for selection.”

Huge boost

This big injury lift is set to be a huge boost to Howe's squad in the second half of the campaign as Isak has the potential to be an important player for the club.

Magpies sporting director Dan Ashworth splashed the cash to sign the attacker in the summer as Newcastle spent a club-record £63m to snap him up from Real Sociedad, which suggests that the Magpies chief believes he will be a crucial player in the years to come.

Howe hailed the signing at the time of the move going through, saying: "I'm very excited that Alexander has chosen to join us. He is an outstanding talent who is capable of making a big contribution to the team.

"He is technically very good, with a mix of attributes that will complement us, but he is also at a great age to grow with this club."

This shows that the Toon head coach thinks very highly of the striker and Isak hit the ground running to live up to the hype as he scored twice in his first three Premier League appearances.

The Swedish international found the back of the net against Liverpool and AFC Bournemouth, either side of blanking against Crystal Palace.

He joined the Magpies after scoring 23 goals in his last two full La Liga seasons for Real Sociedad combined, which shows that he has the ability to be a regular goalscorer at the top level.

Isak, 23, is a young talent with the scope to improve and Howe will surely be keen to work with him on the training pitch in the coming months and years to help him fulfil his potential.

The marksman has already shown a glimpse of the quality he can provide in the Premier League and that is why his immediate return after the World Cup is a huge boost for the club.