Newcastle handed 'huge boost' ahead of Saturday's trip to Arsenal - Report

Some good news to report on the injury front this morning, as Newcastle United duo Alexander Isak and Joe Willock have moved a step closer to comebacks.

The Mail's Craig Hope has revealed that both returned to first-team training on Tuesday and look set to make the squad ahead of Saturday's trip to Arsenal if they come through the next few days unscathed.

https://twitter.com/CraigHope_DM/status/1760068950409306574

Isak has missed our last three league games after aggravating a groin issue midway through our 3-1 win over Aston Villa last month.

As for Willock, he's played just three times all season and hasn't featured since that 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth way back in November, where he suffered an Achilles issue just weeks after recovering from a long-term hamstring issue.

Both are huge players for us that bring a completely new dynamic to our attack. Their pace, creativity and goal threat could be a massive weapon ahead of our trip to the Emirates this weekend. Willock won't be ready to start after another long period on the sidelines, but he could make a big impact from the bench against his former club.

With Callum Wilson set for another 10-11 weeks out following surgery, it's vital we can keep Isak fit, as the lack of out-and-out striker was evident in last weekend's 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.

Elsewhere, it's not yet clear if Fabian Schar is fine or facing a spell out after he went off holding his wrist last Saturday. Let's hope that is nothing serious as we prepare to face a team that's scored 11 goals in their last two league games!