Newcastle United defender ruled out for ‘next couple’ of games amid fresh injury

Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom has confirmed on-loan Newcastle United defender Ciaran Clark is set for a short spell on the sidelines.

With his current Magpies contract now into its final 12 months, the Republic of Ireland international joined the Blades on a season-long loan deal earlier this season and has gone on to make eight appearances as his temporary employers push for promotion back into the Premier League.

After returning from an hamstring injury suffered in the first two weeks of the season, Clark featured in six games either side of the World Cup break as the Blades embarked on an unbeaten run that firmly established them as the leading contenders to push current leaders Burnley for the Championship title.

However, the 33-year-old centre-back missed out on Saturday’s FA Cup third round win at Championship rivals Millwall and Heckingbottom has revealed he expects Clark to miss home games against Stoke City and Hull City over the next ten days.

“It’s a hamstring injury,” the Blades boss told SUTV. “He did it with a stretch. We will be led (by the physio team) with how he recovers from that. It isn’t an overly massive one but one we cannot risk. We will have to let him settle down. Like I say, he wasn’t sprinting or anything, he just overstretched. In my mind, I think he will be out for the next couple but I might be proven wrong.”

That timescale would put Clark in contention to return when the Blades visit National League side Wrexham in the fourth round of the FA Cup. His long-term future at Bramall Lane remains up in the air as uncertainty over the ownership situation at the Championship club is said to have put a hold on firm decisions in the transfer market.