Newcastle boss Howe gives fitness updates on Guimaraes, Gordon, Wissa and Miley | OneFootball

Eddie Howe hopes star man Bruno Guimaraes will be available again after the international break later this month.

Guimaraes is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and is undergoing rehab in Brazil as he works his way back to fitness.

“He’s back (at Newcastle) on Monday,” Howe said. “I think his plan, typical Bruno, is to come to Barcelona and support the team.

“We hope that he won’t be too far away. Once he’s back with us we’ll have to assess him. I know he’s been working incredibly hard on his rehab with the Brazilian national team physios and doctors so I think he’ll be in a good place.

“He’s such a big player so I’d like to think by the time the international break is ended he’ll be back fit and available.”

Meanwhile, Howe says Anthony Gordon is in a position to start against Chelsea on Saturday having been used as a substitute in the 1-1 draw against Barcelona.

“He trained yesterday so he feels better,” Howe said.

“I do have to clear something up about Anthony Gordon. He was absolutely willing to play in the game against Barcelona. I know there’s a lot of comments but it was my decision not to start him based on the fact that he’d been ill that morning and hadn’t attended the training session.

“He was prepared to play but in consultation with the medical team we didn’t think he was fit to start.”

Yoane Wissa was an unused substitute in Newcastle’s Champions League draw and Howe has challenged his summer signing to make an impact when he gets his opportunity.

“Yoane is fit,” Howe clarified. “Probably fitter than at any stage in his time with us.

“He’s done a lot of work behind the scenes, he’s making up for lost time in that respect. He’s training with the group and there’s no injury concerns at all.

“The challenge for Yoane is when introduced and on the pitch, he’s got to perform, and that will be the same for every player in the squad and then I have to pick who I think is best for the job.”

But Lewis Miley is still recovering from a leg injury which has forced him to miss the last 11 games.

Asked if he could be back for the second leg against Barcelona, Howe said: “We were hoping that he’d be fit for that game and I don’t actually know if that’s deviated at all.

“He’s not training with the group currently. He’s on the grass running again and working incredibly hard but all the feedback I’ve had from the medical team is we just have to be careful with his injury and we don’t want it to turn into something a lot more serious.

“It’s gone on longer than anyone would have hoped but the main thing is that he comes back fit.”