The Daily Mail's northeast football correspondent Craig Hope has revealed that Alexander Isak has suffered an injury 'setback' for Newcastle United.
The Lowdown: Isak ruled out
The 23-year-old was ruled out of this afternoon's game at Manchester United in the Premier League, despite Eddie Howe claiming that the striker was making 'progress' in his recovery from injury.
However, it now looks as if he is going to be sidelined for longer than first feared, having been hit by a fresh setback.
The Latest: Isak injury 'setback'
Taking to Twitter in sharing a corresponding article for The Daily Mail on Sunday morning, Hope has revealed that Isak has suffered a 'setback' in his recovery from a thigh injury after pulling up with the same issue.
The Sweden international was 'nearing' a return to action, but he is now set to miss at least the next three matches for Newcastle in what Hope describes as a 'fresh blow'.
The journalist stated: "Newcastle’s Alexander Isak suffers setback in recovery from thigh injury after pulling up with same problem. £60m striker was nearing return but now set to miss at least next 3 games after fresh blow. More news awaited on full timescale."
A subsequent report from The Athletic delivered even worse news for the Magpies, claiming that the 23-year-old will 'probably' be sidelined until after the World Cup.
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The Verdict: Big blow
After the hope that Isak could feature in the next few games after making progress in his recovery, it is certainly a big blow for Howe and Newcastle to now lose him for what looks like until Boxing Day at the earliest.
With two goals in his first three appearances in the league, the club-record signing from Real Sociedad had adapted to English football quickly, and his manager will have wanted to ease him into the team further with more opportunities.
However, with Allan Saint-Maximin also suffering a setback in his recovery from an injury, the Magpies will need to find a way to make their attack click over their forthcoming matches without two of their key players.