Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew doesn't expect Siem de Jong to be available until January.
De Jong has only just stopped using crutches after a thigh injury.
Pardew said: "I think that January, probably, is the earliest for Siem, so the Christmas programme looks out, which is a shame because obviously there are a lot of games in that period.
"We have got fingers crossed that he comes back in January ready to go because the injury he's got is such that we have to be very careful with his rehab and make sure that we don't put him at risk.
"His thigh muscle had a tear at the top where it joins the bone, and that's a dangerous area."
