Newcastle United fear Jonjo Shelvey may have suffered a serious knee injury that could jeopardise their Premier League survival hopes.
The midfielder, who is seen as integral to their hopes of avoiding relegation, has been sent for a second set of scans which will be assessed by a consultant.
Shelvey – who despite requiring pain-killing injections in an unrelated groin problem has impressed in recent weeks - will miss Saturday’s game at his old club Liverpool as well as next Saturday’s home fixture against fellow strugglers Southampton.
“Jonjo knocked his knee at Bournemouth last week,” Rafael Benítez said. “We don’t yet know how serious it is. The doctors say we have to check exactly what he has and then decide what to do.”
Like Shelvey, Islam Slimani is sidelined for at least the next two games. A thigh problem has meant the Algeria striker has not played since Newcastle paid Leicester City a £2m short-term loan fee in January. Accordingly Benítez seems on a collision course with Algeria who appear determined to select Slimani for internationals against Gambia and Iran.
With Tottenham’s FA Cup involvement leaving his side facing three weeks without a match following Southampton’s visit, Newcastle’s manager will fill the gap by taking his squad abroad to play a warm-weather friendly.
