Newcastle United’s £60million record signing Alexander Isak has suffered a setback in his recovery from a thigh injury.
Sportsmail can reveal the Sweden forward pulled up last week with the same problem and is now facing another spell on the sidelines.
It was expected that Isak would make his return this week, with Newcastle travelling to Manchester United on Sunday before hosting Everton on Wednesday and a trip to Spurs next weekend.
However, the 23-year-old is set to miss all three games and it is not yet known when he will be fit to return.
The news is a huge blow for Eddie Howe and the player, who has only featured three times since his arrival from Real Sociedad in August.
He scored on his debut at Liverpool but felt a problem in his thigh while training with Sweden during September’s international break.
Isak’s comeback bid had been on course after stepping up his involvement at Newcastle’s training ground early last week.
But Newcastle’s medical staff must now determine the best course of action given the risk of him suffering another recurrence.
Isak’s injury comes at the same time as Allan Saint-Maximin suffered a setback during his return from a hamstring layoff, as revealed by MailOnline on Saturday.
The French winger will also miss this week’s matches with Newcastle hopeful of his latest absence being limited to around a fortnight.