Newcastle United suffer further injury woe as Anthony Gordon ruled out for Nottingham Forest

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has confirmed that Anthony Gordon will miss Saturday's clash with Nottingham Forest after suffering an ankle injury.

The former Everton winger was substituted at half-time of the Magpies 4-4 draw with Luton last weekend and was pictured leaving St James' Park on crutches.

The issue is not believed to be too serious but it is enough to force Gordon out of action. He will join the likes of Alexander Isak on the sidelines with the Swedish striker yet to recover from a groin injury.

"Anthony [Gordon] hasn’t trained this week but we don’t think the injury is serious," Howe explained in his pre-match press conference. "We hope he is back sooner than later.

"Alex [Isak] won’t make this game, we hope he won’t be too far away, we don’t have a fixed date yet. He is making good progress."

The Magpies have suffered numerous injury issues throughout the campaign with Howe regularly naming two goalkeepers and host of youngsters on the bench to make up the numbers.

Gordon's blow is just the latest issue for the Newcastle head coach to deal with. Joelinton and Sandro Tonali remain out for the rest of the season through injury and suspension while goalkeeper Nick Pope is not expected back until at least April.

However, Howe was able to provide more positive updates on the fitness of Joe Willock and Elliot Anderson who have been sidelined for much of the season. The midfield duo have stepped up their recoveries and could return before the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Harvey Barnes and Callum Wilson are both available for selection again after coming through their return to the team last weekend unscathed.

Saturday's fixture offers Newcastle a chance to claim revenge after Forest shocked the St James' Park faithful by claiming a 3-1 win on Boxing Day. Former Mag Chris Wood scored a hat-trick on the day but will be missing at the City Ground through injury.

"Chris did very well on the day," Howe said. "He was a brilliant signing for us and helped keep us in the division. We'll be pleased he'll be missing."

Newcastle currently sit ninth in the Premier League but remain just three points behind West Ham in the race for Europe. Howe hopes Saturday's enocunter can kickstart a sustained run of form as the Magpies look to climb the table.

"We are absolutely committed to getting our Premier League form back to a consistent vein of form," Howe said. "We are still very committed to finishing as high as we can in the league. We are desperate to do well, I see that in the players every day."

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