Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has confirmed that Allan Saint-Maximin remains sidelined for Sunday's Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur.
The Magpies suffered a setback in their top-four bid last weekend when they were beaten 3-0 by an in-form Aston Villa side.
Despite seeing their five-game winning run come to an end, Newcastle remain in fourth position with a three-point cushion over Sunday's opponents.
Newcastle face their fellow Champions League hopefuls Tottenham on Sunday, but they will go into the contest without the services of Saint-Maximin, who is set to miss a third consecutive game with a hamstring problem.
There was hope that the winger would recover in time for Sunday's encounter after he was given permission to return home to France and undergo specialist treatment.
However, speaking in his pre-match press conference, Howe has confirmed that Saint-Maximin remains unavailable.
"He's not back in the country yet," Howe told reporters. "We will see him early next week. But Maxi's fine.
"There hasn't been a setback, it's just taken maybe a little bit longer than initially thought, but no major setback. With hamstring injuries, we have to be careful."
Miguel Almiron returned from a spell on the sidelines to play the final 35 minutes against Aston Villa, and Howe was asked whether the Paraguay international will start on Sunday.
"He's an option - I'd say he's in contention," the Newcastle boss said. "He's had minimal training - he's trained this week and trained well, as Miggy usually does.
"I was pleased to see him back on the pitch. But prior to that he had quite a long absence, so we'll wait and see. I'll try and make the right call for him and the team."
Howe also stated that Newcastle have no fresh injury concerns ahead of Sunday's fixture at St James' Park, where they will be looking to claim a third consecutive home victory.
The Magpies also have the chance to record a league double over Tottenham after picking up a 3-2 win in the reverse fixture. body check tags ::
