Newcastle United have confirmed that Siem de Jong face a number of months on the sidelines, which will force Alan Pardew into a major rethink.
The Magpies signed the Holland international from Ajax in the summer in a deal worth around £6million, and it was expected that the player would prove to be one of the bargains of the window. However, the midfielder, who suffered with a hamstring problem last term, and he sat out much of pre-season with his new club due to a foot injury.
And now the Premier League side have confirmed that de Jong will be out of contention for a ‘number of months’, after he picked up a thigh injury in training earlier this week. The 25-year-old, who has made two league appearances and one in the League Cup since arriving in England, is now unlikely to figure until well into the New Year.
And this will cause manager Pardew a major headache, as he had planned on using the player as one of his key men this season. De Jong is seen as the link between the midfield and the attack, and as a regular goalscorer during his time in Amsterdam, he would also have been expected to chip in with his fair contribution whilst on Tyneside.
The Newcastle boss will also have to contend with an injury to Jack Colback, picked up whilst on international duty, whilst Cheick Tiote is also a doubt for the Premier League match with Southampton a week on Saturday. All this comes in a week when The Independent ran a story claiming Pardew could be sacked if his side flop in their next two matches.
There is better news for United fans in relation to Moussa Sissoko, though. The France international was linked with a move to some of Europe’s top clubs over the summer, and whilst he admits he wants to play in the UEFA Champions League, the 25-year-old said: “I would like to play in the Champions League but I feel very happy at Newcastle United.”
Newcastle fans, how much of a blow is it to lose de Jong? And do you think Pardew really does have two games to save his job? Let us know what you think by joining in the discussion below!
