Newcastle United have been handed a huge blow after captain Fabricio Coloccini suffered a calf injury during the club's training camp in Spain.

With no Premier League or FA Cup action on the weekend, Newcastle took the opportunity to go on a warm weather training camp in La Manga in the south-east of Spain.

However, Coloccini was struck down with a calf problem during one of the training sessions and is likely to be ruled out for at least a month due to the setback.

It is a major blow to the Magpies who are already battling relegation and to lose their skipper will only make life harder for the final few months of the campaign.