Eddie Howe handed injury boost after Arsenal defeat as Newcastle boss continues to juggle absence of wantaway striker Alexander Isak

Eddie Howe has been handed a major injury boost having suffered a scare in Newcastle's pre-season friendly against Arsenal on Sunday.

The Magpies were playing their third match of the summer in Singapore, with Howe using two different sides throughout the game to allow his players to get some more minutes into their legs.

They lost for the second match in a row, however, going down 3-2 just a matter of days after their shock 4-0 thrashing by Celtic in less-than ideal preparations.

In Newcastle's side, William Osula led the line from the start of the game, while 18-year-old Sean Neave came off the bench in the second half with Alexander Isak still absent.

Howe has ruled out the possibility that the Swede could join up with Newcastle's travelling party next week after Mail Sport exclusively revealed he is keen to explore options away from the club - but one star that was present raised injury concerns when he appeared to limp off the field.

Defender Sven Botman has been back in action after long injury lay-off last season, but fans feared the worst when he seemed to have picked up an issue against Arsenal.

Botman was seen speaking to Howe as he left the pitch, looking in discomfort as he made his way to the dressing room.

After undergoing cruciate surgery in March 2024, he didn't play again until December last year but was soon back on the sidelines with a broken kneecap in February.

After a month out, he missed another 48 days between early March and late April with another knee issue, meaning he has played just 25 Premier League games across the last two seasons.

Howe, though, seemed to ease injury fears after the game against Arsenal, saying: 'He came off and said his groin was tight. Fingers crossed he's OK.'

Mail Sport's Craig Hope, meanwhile, reported from Singapore that Botman was seen walking without any obvious limp, and Dan Burn said that he would probably have stayed on the field if the game was competitive.

Anthony Elanga and Jacob Murphy were on the scoresheet for Newcastle, while Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard bagged for Arsenal, with Alex Murphy also scoring an own goal.

Viktor Gyokeres was unveiled before kick off, with the likes of Martin Zubimendi and Bukayo Saka also starting for the Gunners.