Anthony Gordon has suffered no lasting problems after a ‘nasty-looking’ cut during Newcastle’s win at Tottenham on Saturday.
The England international was felled by Dejan Kulusevski in the Premier League clash at the weekend, with the Swede’s shoulder causing damage to his face.
Gordon managed to continue the game and Howe does not expect him to be out of action when Newcastle go to Arsenal on Tuesday night in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Howe does think the collision should have resulted in a penalty kick for his side, not that it proved important as the Magpies won 2-1 at Spurs.
‘Anthony was in a bit of discomfort with the cut which was a nasty-looking one,’ Howe told a press conference on Monday. ‘Looking back at the decision, I thought it was a foul, a clear penalty.
‘He came away from the incident with blood on himself. We dusted him down, he went back on the pitch and performed really well for us, I thought he had a really good game.’
Sven Botman returned to the starting XI against Spurs after a lengthy period on the sidelines with a knee injury, not playing in the first team since March 2024.
Howe was impressed with the defender’s return and said tiredness was the only reaction to his return after such a long spell out.
‘He feels good,’ said the manager of the Dutchman. ‘Naturally a little bit of fatigue at the end of the game.
‘With Sven, yes it was a long absence but he’s trained for a long, long time for this moment. From the Aston Villa game onwards he was cleared to play but we wanted to give him longer to try and reach his best physical levels.
‘It’s not like he’s been rushed back, but straight into action, did very well, really pleased with him. I think regardless of how you train, the Premier League is very different from anything else, you can’t really prepare for that intensity but he handled it really well.’
Newcastle will be without Bruno Guimaraes and Fabian Schar against Arsenal on Tuesday, with the former a particular loss.
‘It’s a big blow,’ said Howe. ‘One of Bruno’s biggest strengths is that he is always there for you. His appearance record has been brilliant for us, especially when you consider the physical exertion he commits to us.
‘He’s going to be a big miss. We have big players who can fill his shoes.’
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