Newcastle United have been rocked by a potential injury blow to Joelinton ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg.

The Brazil international came off in the second half of the dire defeat against Fulham and will be assessed before the midweek visit of the Gunners. But Howe hinted that number 9 Callum Wilson could make a return to at least bolster his options ahead of the crucial cup encounter at St James' Park.

When asked about Joelinton, Howe said: "Joelinton was suffering with a knee injury which was a shame. He was clearly struggling with it."

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Joelinton indicated he was ready to come off before the hour mark but his replacement Joe Willock could not inspire the Magpies to victory and Newcastle would go on to retreat. Howe made no excuses after the match but said he would analyse the game thoroughly before talking to his players again.

When asked about Wilson's chances of featuring against the Gunners, Howe said: "Callum will be there or thereabouts. He has trained a couple of times and looked good. I will speak to everyone connected with Callum about his welfare and make sure we involve him at the right time."

Howe looked back on the defeat and said his players must accept what now comes their way. He said: "It's the second home game in a row where we haven't performed and that's a huge frustration for us. That's two back-to-back games where we've been nowhere near ourselves.

"We just have to hold our hands up and say we didn't perform today. Athletically we weren't ourselves, all these things contribute to a disappointing day."