Source: PA
Injured Carroll sent to Sweden
Newcastle striker Andy Carroll is to fly to Sweden to consult a specialist over his troublesome thigh injury.
The 22-year-old, whose 11 goals to date this season fuelled the Magpies' solid first half of the season, has missed the last five games with a tear in the muscle but was taken on the club's training break to Portugal.
Manager Alan Pardew had hoped to have him back for the Barclays Premier League trip to Fulham on February 2 but the club is now to seek the help of a renowned Swedish specialist in an effort to get to the bottom of the problem.
Speaking on BBC Radio Newcastle from the club's Portugal training camp, Pardew said: "We brought him to Portugal to start running and the disappointing news is he hasn't.
"His injury is in the muscle just above the tendon where it joins the knee, so it's not an area that gets great circulation, so therefore it doesn't heal quickly. We have had a consultation this week to send him to someone who's the world's best tendon repair expert.
"You get these experts in different fields and this guy is in the Arctic end of Sweden and he is flying out there on Friday and we are hoping we can turn him around quickly. But now I have to say that Fulham is definitely out and maybe even Arsenal."
