Now that the Premier League campaign is in full swing, Champions League football is back, and the Carabao Cup rapidly approaching, the fixtures are coming thick and fast for Newcastle United.

So, whilst Eddie Howe has got some fantastic squad depth to call upon for the games ahead, he and the team have been dealt some hammer blows recently in terms of injuries and suspensions.

It’s looking increasingly likely that Yoane Wissa won’t make his debut for us until after the October international break, and Jacob Ramsey is similarly unavailable for the foreseeable future due to injury, with Anthony Gordon also banned for one more league game.

And now in the fallout of our UCL clash against Barcelona, another dependable star will be out for the next few weeks, which will give Howe a tough decision to make ahead of some must-win games.

Schar confirms double blow

Fabian Schar has personally confirmed that he will miss “a few games” for the club following on from a suspected concussion suffered in the defeat to the Spanish champions.

Writing on Instagram, the Swiss defender put: “Disappointed not to have got more from the game but plenty more points to pick up this campaign! Unfortunately I am gonna miss a few games but hope to be back soon.”

It’s not the first concussion scare that Schar has had in the last few weeks, as a collision with Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk prematurely ended his game against the Reds, though he returned in time for the very next league game against Leeds.

With it being a suspected concussion, protocol must be followed and this ultimately rules the 33-year-old out for both the league game against Bournemouth as well as the midweek tie at home to Bradford.

Malick Thiaw looks most likely to partner Dan Burn in the heart of the defence at the Vitality Stadium, though you would imagine Sven Botman remains an option as he too came on late in the second half against Barcelona.

Head injury key to opening goal?

Questions must be asked if Schar should have taken off the very moment it looked like he was concussed and unable to really continue playing on Thursday night.

Taking a powerful shot from Marcus Rashford directly to his head was enough to keep the defender on the ground for a prolonged period of time.

And it wasn’t long after that the Englishman scored his first of the night, beating Schar to Kounde’s cross and heading him from close range.

Looking back on both the incident and Schar’s reactions during the goal, it makes you wonder if could’ve been a very different story had he not been concussed at the time.