Eddie Howe has been hit with a big injury blow after Federico Fernandez was ruled out for Newcastle United's festive programme.
The South American has picked up what Howe described as a "slight thigh problem" after sitting out the Leicester defeat on the bench on Sunday.
Howe said: "We have lost Federico Fernandez due to an injury, we're not sure what the extent of that injury is yet.
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"He is probably going to miss the majority of games over the festive period I think."
Fernandez is instantly out of the Liverpool game this week and will miss the home games with Manchester City and Manchester United while also being a doubt for the final game of 2021 at Everton.
Howe also confirmed that Liverpool coach Mark Leyland will join the club.
Howe said: "Mark has joined the club from Liverpool, he's somebody I worked with at Burnley.
"He's a really good guy, first and foremost.
"He has come in as coach/analyst so he will be helping us with documentation of training and coaching."
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