Eddie Howe confirms that Joelinton will now miss at least six week through injury

And the hits keep on coming here on Treatment Table FM your home for all the Newcastle United injury news.

It may be a new year but that hasn't magically fixed Newcastle's poor luck when it comes to injuries.

Joelinton only managed the first half of the 3-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday as the £40million signing from Hoffenheim picked up another knock. Something that's happened a lot to the Brazilian Beast this season.

Joelinton definitely won't face Man City

At first it was feared that the injury would potentially keep him out of Saturday's visit of Manchester City, but in his pre-match press conference (via The Chronicle), Eddie Howe has admitted that it's far worse than they first feared.

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Howe now expects Joelinton to be missing for around six weeks with a tendon problem in his quad.

"The prospects over the next couple of weeks aren't good. It's an injury that will see him miss a minimum of six weeks. It's a real blow for us as he's a key player. He's had a stop-start season, unfortunately. He was so consistent last year but he's had a few different problems [this year].

"This is a big blow and it’s been a stop-start season for him. We have nobody immediately coming back but there is nobody like Joelinton. So this is a big one.

"Joey has got a problem with his tendon in his quad. It’s a difficult place to get an injury hence the reason why he’s out. He’s very disappointed and we’ve been trying to pick him up. Joey’s injury is a freak one where he’s standing up and been caught off balance."

Time to change tactics in the transfer window

As much as the club has downplayed the prospect of incomings in January, and Eddie Howe's insistence that they will not be reactionary in the transfer market, the long-term absence of Joelinton coupled with the line "We have nobody immediately coming back" suggests that it might be time to abandon those plans and get somebody in.

If nothing else it will boost the morale of the fans who were expecting to have somebody through the door by now.

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