Eddie Howe issues new Newcastle United update on 'nasty' injury

Targett missed last night’s goalless draw against Arsenal with a heel injury – and Howe expects the left-back to be sidelined for at least a month.

“I think Matt’s going to be out for a number of weeks,” said United’s. “It’s a nasty injury. "I would say the name of it, but I can’t pronounce it, but it is a nasty injury. It’ll probably be a minimum of a month, possibly more.”

Howe lost midfielder Jonjo Shelvey to a calf injury before Christmas.

Meanwhile, Howe hailed his team’s defensive effort against the Premier League leaders at the Emirates Stadium.

“I was very pleased with our defensive effort,” said Howe. “We were very resilient and defended very, very well as a collective, all the way through. Arsenal are a top team with very good players and a very good way of playing, so we knew we had to be at our very best.

“I’d probably say that our overall game with the ball was slightly off. But I think that’s due to how Arsenal play.

"We had spells where we didn’t have the ball for long periods of time, and I think that just mentally fatiugues, so then when we did have the ball, we probably just weren’t at our best on the counter-attack.

"We were probably a little bit loose with the ball at times, and that induced more pressure, so that’s where the defensive effort was first class.”