There were plenty of worrying signs for Newcastle United fans during last night’s thoroughly miserable loss away at Southampton.
Two shots on target, two sloppy goals conceded and a raft of defensive mistakes were bad enough but the image of star striker Callum Wilson holding his hamstring when being taken off for Andy Carroll late in the second-half compounded their misery.
Enjoying the most prolific start to a Newcastle striker career since Les Ferdinand, his six goals from seven shots on target has made his £20m addition perhaps the best big money the club have ever spent outside of Alan Shearer in 1996.
Should Chancel Mbemba ever have been sold?
Yes
No
So, the prospect of him facing a spell on the sidelines is obviously an unwelcome one.
With Ryan Fraser already out with a ‘small tear’ in his hamstring (via Lee Ryder) his former Bournemouth teammate is heading for a scan to determine the extent of his injury to the same area.
The fact there’s an international break coming up should hopefully help ease the amount of games he’ll miss but with crucial fixtures against Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and West Brom coming up before December starts, it’s imperative Newcastle’s main source of goals is available.
If he isn’t, the best start to the season since 2011 could mean very little as the season progresses.