Newcastle United defender Chancel Mbemba is set to face a long spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury in DR Congo’s 2-2 draw against Tunisia in their World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday.
The Toon Army defender captained his national side on the night and got the curtain raiser for his side but was forced off 15 minutes into the second half and his absence was felt as his side surrendered a two goal advantage to the Carthage Eagles.
This will come as a blow to Mbemba who has been in excellent form to start the season and turned in a stellar performance at left-back for the Magpies in their 3-0 win over West Ham United before the break, having struggled for game time in the English Championship last term sparking rumours of an exit.
According to the national team doctor, Dr Jean-Pierre Kanga, the player will miss the country’s next qualifier against Libya on October 7 and could even be out for up to three months with the exact cause of the injury still unknown.
This will come as a huge blow to Rafa Benitez who will have to wait for accurate reports to know exactly how long the Congolese will be out for but he has Florian Lejeune and DeAndre Yedlin available for their trip to the Liberty Stadium to face Jordan Ayew’s Swansea on Sunday.
