Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi will be out of action for four to six weeks after suffering a hamstring injury at the weekend.

The 30-year-old felt the problem shortly after being introduced as a 68th-minute substitute during Saturday's 1-0 Barclays Premier League win over Wigan at St James' Park.

He played on, but manager Alan Pardew today revealed he could be sidelined until the start of December.

"Unfortunately we lost Shola on Saturday so he's going to be out now for, we think, four to six weeks," Pardew told www.nufc.co.uk.

"That's a blow to us. He felt something after about three mins of coming on, but still played on which just goes to show you what sort of a character he is.

"He'll be a loss to us and I think our fans will see that now - how important he is when he's not there."