Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has confirmed Christian Atsu's knee problem is more of an on-going concern.
As a result, the winger has been forced to sit out Ghana's 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Uganda.
It is understood that the 25-year-old received injections early on in the campaign in order to delay an operation which would sideline him for up to three months.
Newcastle are managing his knee, and it is believed that Atsu was left out of the starting line-up at Swansea City last month as a result.
Yet the winger has started six of Newcastle’s seven games so far this season and Benitez appears unconcerned about Atsu’s availability going forward.
''He has a little bit of discomfort in his knee and we have to manage it carefully,'' Benitez said of Atsu.