Newcastle skipper Alan Shearer is vowing to battle through the pain barrier to give manager Bobby Robson a huge fitness boost.

The 30-year-old striker missed his first game in the 15 months since Robson arrived at St James' Park last Saturday when he was forced to sit out the 1-1 draw at Aston Villa with a bout of tendonitis, adding to the back and hamstring problems he has picked up in the last few weeks.

There were suggestions that he could be out of action for up to a month, but Shearer has typically even refused to rule himself out of Saturday's daunting trip to Arsenal.

The former England captain is due to have a scan on the injury, but if he is given the slightest indication that he could play at Highbury, that will be all the encouragement he needs.

''I will be very disappointed if I am out for a month or even three weeks,'' he said.

''In fact, I am very hopeful, and I am not even ruling myself out of Saturday's game at Highbury.''

Robson had already expressed concern over the toll the current campaign was taking on Shearer when it became clear that the tendonitis in his knee, which required an injection during England's ill-fated Euro 2000 campaign, had flared up again.

''To tell the truth, I have been feeling the knee a bit lately and it has been getting worse,'' he said.

''When I was shaping up to shoot in training on Friday morning, I suffered this shooting pain.

''I came straight off and I had a fitness test on Saturday morning, but I soon realised it was no good.''

An early return for Shearer would come as a huge boost to Robson, who has seen £7m summer signing Carl Cort sidelined until January after surgery on a hamstring tendon, with a hamstring problem also keeping Kevin Gallacher out.

In addition, defenders Aaron Hughes and Alain Goma joined Marcelino on the casualty list at the weekend. Both were replaced before half-time at Villa Park, Hughes with concussion and Goma with a recurrence of his calf injury.

The Frenchman, who has had a transfer request granted by the club, will have a second scan on the calf, but the news of his team-mate is more encouraging.

Northern Ireland international Hughes may need dental treatment after being left dazed by a clash with Villa striker Dion Dublin, but he is hoping to be ready to face the Gunners.