Newcastle United are set to avoid an unwanted meeting with Gareth Bale after his loan switch from Real Madrid to this weekend's opponents Tottenham Hotspur.
The Welshman will not make his debut until next month after an injury on his medical was exposed in the last few days.
Bale has terrorised United before in this fixture, not least when a double strike in 2013 earned Spurs a 2-1 win at the old White Hart Lane.
A Spurs statement read: "Gareth sustained a knee injury whilst playing for Wales on international duty earlier this month and this together with La Liga’s later start compared to the Premier League means he has had a limited pre-season.
"We currently anticipate that he will be match fit after October’s international break."
Newcastle's task will be difficult enough this weekend after Son Heung-min's four-goal haul against Southampton on Sunday in an impressive 5-2 win.
However, Spurs have a packed week ahead with a League Cup clash against Leyton Orient before a long journey to Macedonia to face Shkendija in the Europa League.
Whether Newcastle can take advantage of four games for Spurs in a week remains to be seen.
