DWIGHT GAYLE has confirmed he is facing a nervous couple of days as he waits to discover the full extent of the hamstring injury that forced him off the field during Newcastle’s 2-1 win at Brentford.

Gayle opened the scoring with his 20th goal of the season at Griffin Park, but just eight minutes later, he was receiving treatment after feeling a twinge in his hamstrings.

Newcastle’s medical staff immediately called for his substitution, and while he was able to hobble onto the bus after Daryl Murphy’s winner sent the Magpies back to the top of the Championship table, he is set to undergo a series of scans to ascertain the full extent of the problem.

Gayle missed a chunk of last season with a hamstring injury, and looks set for at least a couple of weeks on the sidelines with his latest problem.

“It was a hamstring,” confirmed Gayle. “I had it last season as well. Fingers crossed it’s not too bad, but we won’t know the full extent of it for a few days. We'll see how it goes.”

Gayle’s absence will provide Rafael Benitez with a major headache given that Aleksandar Mitrovic is also expected to be unavailable for the next two weeks after injuring his knee in the FA Cup third-round draw with Birmingham.

Murphy is now the only fit striker in the Newcastle squad, and Gayle admits it was hugely frustrating to have to leave the field after he had enjoyed such a productive opening 20 minutes.

“We knew what their team was about,” he said. “We were playing on the counter-attack, and I thought it worked really well.

“I was frustrated to come off in a game where it was perfectly made for myself.”

Gayle was one of three Newcastle players to suffer an injury at Griffin Park, with Isaac Hayden and Vurnon Anita also having to be replaced.

Anita’s ankle injury looks especially serious – the Dutchman left the dressing room with his foot in a protective boot – but Murphy’s 79th-minute winner at least ensured the mood at the final whistle was buoyant.

“Obviously, it was frustrating to come off, but the three points was the most important thing,” said Gayle. “I was buzzing that the boys ground three points out. There was a real buzz in the changing room.”