NEWCASTLE UNITED will be without Jacob Murphy for up to three months, with the winger requiring surgery on his injured shoulder.

And the Magpies are also fearing Dan Burn could be facing a long-term absence after he suffered a back problem during his side’s 1-0 win over Arsenal.

Murphy dislocated his shoulder in last month’s victory over Crystal Palace, but it was decided that he would attempt to continue playing with the problem rather than have an immediate operation.

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He came onto the field as a second-half substitute against Arsenal, but lasted just 15 minutes before suffering another dislocation as he stretched out his arm while running.

He will now have to undergo surgery, with Eddie Howe fearing he could be sidelined for around three months.

“With Jacob, we always knew there was a chance that he could do his shoulder again, but he was prepared to take the risk,” said the Magpies boss. “Unfortunately, we lost him during the game, and we will lose him now to an operation.

“Jacob came to see me, and we’ve had various discussions with the medical team. We felt that it was a risk putting him back on the pitch, but it was a risk that he was prepared to take and the medical team were prepared to take too.

“We were full in the knowledge that, potentially, he could do it again. When you have a dislocation, there’s a chance that you can dislocate again. It looks like he has, so he will definitely now need that operation. But there was also a chance that he could get through it and continue to be fit and play for us.

“It’s obviously a huge blow. Off the top of my head, I’m not completely sure how long he will be out for, but it’ll probably be around three months, I would think.”

Murphy’s absence compounds a mounting injury issue in midfield and attack that already sees a host of players ruled out.

Harvey Barnes will be sidelined until the turn of the year, Elliot Anderson is expected to be out for another month or so, and Alexander Isak is not expected to be available until after the international break.

To make matters worse, Bruno Guimaraes will miss next weekend’s Premier League game at Bournemouth after picking up his fifth booking of the season in the closing stages of the Arsenal victory.

At the other end of the field, Newcastle continue to be without the injured Sven Botman, and there are fears Burn could be sidelined for a lengthy spell after injuring his back during the first half of the win over the Gunners.

The full-back appeared to fall awkwardly after challenging for a header, and was holding his back in obvious discomfort before being replaced at the break.

“Dan jumps for a ball, lands on his back, and he’s in a lot of pain at the moment,” said Howe. “That looks worrying for us.

“He landed on his back going up for a header, and he has back pain. I think he’s potentially worried about it. We’ll wait and see, but I don’t think it’s the kind of normal thing where you wake up the next day and it’s gone. It could be more serious than that.”