NEWCASTLE UNITED duo Joe Willock and Harvey Barnes will not be available until the start of January at the earliest.

Willock is currently sidelined with an Achilles injury, while Barnes suffered a foot injury in the early stages of September’s eight-goal thrashing of Sheffield United.

The pair remain some way away from a return to full training, with Eddie Howe not expecting to see them back in the first-team fold until the new year.

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Howe said: “Joe is in a period where he’s had a couple of injections in his Achilles, which has been a long-standing problem for him.

“It’s a difficult injury and we’re obviously in the process of getting him back fit, but I don’t think he’ll be back this side of January.

“That will be the same for Harvey. He didn’t have surgery on his foot. The specialist felt he would be okay, and we’re still hoping it will not be longer term and he won’t need an operation, but we’re still in that phase where we’re going to see whether he’s going to come back or not.”

On a more positive note, Howe is hopeful Anthony Gordon will be passed fit to start Newcastle United’s home game with Fulham tomorrow afternoon.

Gordon was suffering from tightness in his hamstrings during Wednesday’s home defeat to AC Milan, and was withdrawn midway through the second half as the Magpies crashed out of the Champions League.

The injury issue is still a problem, but as a quick healer, Howe is hopeful the winger will be able to line up at St James’ Park tomorrow.

The Newcastle head coach said: “Anthony is usually very quick at recovering from different things, so we’ll see how he is today.”

Howe is without the suspended Kieran Trippier tomorrow, with the full-back having picked up his fifth booking of the season in last weekend’s defeat at Tottenham.

However, Dan Burn returned as a second-half substitute in the defeat to AC Milan, and is in contention to make his first start since the start of November at the weekend.

Howe said: “It’s massive having Dan back. It’s not just the player, it’s the character too. It’s the leadership skills you get in the dressing room, and his vast experience as well.

“He’s allowed us to play a certain way. Dan’s been an important part of what we’ve done, and we’ve missed him since he’s been away.

“We’ve missed him physically too. There’s no denying his physical strengths and capabilities, particularly with set-plays for and against, so he’s been a big player for us.”