NEWCASTLE UNITED’S midfield situation has worsened again with the news that Elliot Anderson is facing two months on the sidelines after suffering a back injury.

Anderson has suffered what Eddie Howe describes as a “bizarre” injury setback, with the 20-year-old having woken up on the morning after the Crystal Palace game complaining of a bad back.

Subsequent investigations have revealed an underlying problem, and Anderson is not expected to be available for action until the end of December.

His absence is a major blow, with Sandro Tonali facing a ten-month suspension for breaching gambling regulations, Harvey Barnes also sidelined until late December and Jacob Murphy also facing a potentially lengthy lay-off after dislocating his shoulder on Wednesday night.

“The day after the Palace game he just woke up with a sore back,” explained Howe. “It didn’t really go away, so we’ve had scans and tests, and it looks like it’s going to be eight weeks.

“Elliot’s hugely frustrated, and we’re hugely frustrated too because it was a big moment for him in his career. This was sort of his breakthrough season, in a sense, to try to get more starts, and he was doing that. He was well on his way to establishing himself as a really important first-team player.

“It’s hugely disappointing for him and for us because his versatility was also important. He could play lots of different roles, but we just have to accept the situation and try to get him back to his best.”

Murphy was one of two players to suffer injuries during Wednesday’s Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund. The winger had only been on the pitch for six minutes as a second-half substitute when he dislocated his shoulder, but there is a chance he could play through the pain barrier for a few weeks rather than undergo immediate surgery. A meeting with a specialist will guide Newcastle’s next move.

Alexander Isak suffered a recurrence of a long-standing groin problem on Wednesday, and while the problem is not regarded as extremely serious, he is unlikely to be risked in either tomorrow’s game at Wolves or next week’s Carabao Cup fourth-round game with Manchester United.

“Alex is a groin, which we don’t think is serious, but is a recurrence of the groin problem that he suffered when he was playing for Sweden,” said Howe. “We need to assess that, and I think he’s having a scan today. We don’t anticipate that is going to be too bad.

“Jacob’s is totally different. It’s a dislocation of his shoulder. It’s not clear what we’re going to do – I think he’s also going to see a specialist today. You can play with these injuries, or the other side of it is that he’ll need an operation and he’ll be out for some time.”

Isak’s absence is especially troublesome as Newcastle were short of natural centre-forward options even before the Swede was sidelined.

Callum Wilson is available and set to lead the line at Molineux, but the 31-year-old struggles to play three games in a week and Howe has been keen to protect him as much as possible in the last couple of seasons.

Anthony Gordon played as a centre-forward as England Under-21s won the European Championships earlier this summer, and could potentially fill the role for Newcastle, while Joelinton is also an option, for all that he struggled as a ‘number nine’ during the early stages of his Magpies career.

“We’re a big light in the attacking areas,” admitted Howe. “I think I said we have a deeper squad this season, but if you get injuries in one position, or in certain positions, then that quickly changes.

“Unfortunately, we’re missing Harvey, Elliot and now Alexander and Jacob, and suddenly our attacking resources look stretched.

“We have options. Anthony can play as a number nine – he did that a few times for Everton and did well and scored goals. Jacob has played as a number nine, although now of course he’s missing, Harvey has played as a nine and Joelinton was signed to play in that position. So, we have players that can play in that position, but of course we want our two focal points and main men fit.”

On a brighter note, Joe Willock returned to action as a substitute in the week, although given that the midfielder has been sidelined since the summer, Howe is reluctant to promote him back into the starting line-up too quickly.

“We’re slightly unclear (on whether Willock is ready to start) because he hasn’t had a huge body of training with us,” said Howe. “He has trained, and he’s spent a huge amount of time with the sports science team, but we’ve taken our time with him and haven’t rushed him back.

“He’s a fit lad anyway, and he’ll be desperate to play, but I have to choose the right time to reintroduce him to the team.”