“It’s a real blow for us because he’s such an important player. He’s had a very stop-start season, unfortunately, this year where he was so consistent last year in his selection.
“He’s had a few different problems and this is a big blow.
“He’s got a problem with a tendon in his quad. Without going too detailed, it’s a very difficult place to get an injury, hence the timescale that he’s going to be out.
“He’s very disappointed. He wants to play, he wants to do well, so we’ve had a job of trying to pick Joe up.”
The omens are not on Newcastle’s side; their only victory in the past 32 Premier League meetings was a 2-1 win at home back in January 2019. They have drawn 5 and lost 26 of those meetings. Manchester City have scored in 30 consecutive Premier League matches against Newcastle, the longest streak by any side against another in the competition’s history.
Team news to follow shortly.