Newcastle United ‘confident’ key player will return v Crystal Palace as £98m duo doubtful and midfielder out

Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe is ‘confident’ of welcoming Joelinton back into his squad after the Brazilian missed the last two matches with a hamstring issue.

When asked if Joelinton would be involved against Palace, Howe responded: “I hope so, he's trained well.

“He's done a lot of work and I'm confident as I sit here now that he's going to be okay and can return to the form we know he can produce.

“He's a huge player for us and we've had a few injuries. Not everything is cleared up and we're not in perfect order but we certainly look a little bit better.”

Alexander Isak and Sven Botman remain doubts after suffering injuries before the international break. Isak was forced to withdraw from the Sweden squad after picking up a knock in Newcastle's previous Premier League match at West Ham while Botman hasn’t featured since scoring his first goal for the club in the 8-0 win at Sheffield United last month due to a knee injury.

But Howe was coy on whether the pair would have any role to play on Saturday.

“Alex hasn't trained with us yet so we're going to leave it late to see whether he's fit and available,” he added. “Sven is improving, the two weeks has been good for him.”

With potential concerns regarding Newcastle’s midfield amid an illegal betting investigation into Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes being a booking away from suspension, Howe also wants to see Joe Willock back sooner rather than later.

The 24-year-old hasn’t featured for Newcastle since picking up a hamstring injury against Brighton & Hove Albion in May, suffering an Achilles injury while on his road to recovery.

But Willock has since returned to training and could be back in contention next month.

“I want him back,” Howe admitted. “He's trained this week for the first time with the group but it's probably a bit early to have him involved in the matchday squad but he's getting closer and he's a huge player for us.”