Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe was happy to build up Chris Wood's presence ahead of Tuesday's League Cup clash against AFC Bournemouth.
For while Howe is not so sure when he will have £63million man Alexander Isak back at his disposal and the Toon chief was coy on Callum Wilson's return from a strain, Wood is one of the first names on the squad list for the encounter against the Cherries. It looked like it was going to be a day of frustration for Wood as he searched for a goal from open play.
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But after squandering a handful of opportunities, he was relieved to see the ref point to the spot before smashing home a spot-kick at the Gallowgate End to ensure victory against Rayo Vallecano.
When asked about Wood's importance, Howe said: "He is hugely important. I think you saw in the Chelsea game. He came in, and he was excellent that day. His tactical understanding was of the highest level.
"I thought his performance (against Vallecano), especially in the first half, was very, very good. He took his penalty well. I think Chris is probably playing with a lot of confidence at the moment."
Howe was without a clutch of players for the home clash with the La Liga side. Miguel Almiron, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes were notable absentees while Wilson and Isak had fitness concerns. Nevertheless, Howe was eager to get a victory going into the last 16 game with Bournemouth.
Howe added: "It’s an important game, we’re under no illusions. We’ve prepared now for three weeks for this game and Leicester on Boxing Day is not in our thoughts.
"We’ll try and progress in a cup competition that we said right at the start of the season we wanted to do really well in. The players feel that – we all feel that internally – and we want to perform really well."
When asked if the likes of Bruno and Joelinton will be back for Tuesday, Howe reflected: "I’ll have to wait and see, assess the squad, and then try and pick a team that will be competitive against Bournemouth."
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