Newcastle United forward Andy Carroll will visit a specialist in a bid to cure his thigh problem.
Carroll, the Magpies’ leading goalscorer, was expected to spend only a couple of weeks on the sidelines with the injury, but it has been a month since the 22-year-old has pulled on the black and white stripes.
And boss Alan Pardew has now admitted the player has shown little sign of making a return to first-team action and, as a result, will now travel to Scandinavia to meet with a tendon specialist.
Speaking from the team’s training camp in Portugal, Pardew told BBC Radio Newcastle: “Now I have to say that Fulham (next Wednesday) is definitely out and maybe Arsenal (on February 5).
“We have had a consultation this week to send him to the world's best tendon repair expert.”
Pardew added: “We brought him to Portugal to start running and disappointingly he hasn't.
“His injury is in the muscle just above the tendon where it joins the knee so it's not an area that gets great circulation. Therefore, it doesn't heal quickly.”