Erling Haaland has been ruled out until the end of this month after suffering a setback in his recovery from a foot problem.

The Manchester City superstar has already been on the sidelines since the start of December after getting injured in the defeat at Aston Villa. But he now faces an even longer spell out – after aggravating the issue in training.

Haaland will miss today’s trip to Newcastle, as well as crunch clashes with Tottenham in the FA Cup and Burnley at the end of January. The news is a blow to City’s chances of defending their title and going on to win more trophies this season.

But City boss Pep Guardiola will be hoping a warm weather trip to Abu Dhabi with the City squad next week will help speed up Haaland’s progress.

Guardiola said: “He had a little bit of a problem with his feet, and the doctors decided for him to stop (training) for a week and restart in Abu Dhabi.

It’s bad news for Pep Guardiola (Image: PA)

City will be without their talismanic striker until the end of the month (Image: Getty Images)

“Hopefully at the end of this month he will be ready. The injury was a little bit more than we expected, in the beginning, with the bone.

“Every injury, you can do what you want, but it is a question of time. At the end of this month, maybe he will be ready to come back. It’s in the toughest period. We have two games now, but when you are injured at the end of November and you miss a lot of games, it is what it is.”

Haaland hasn’t played for the champions since the start of December (Image: PA)

City are currently third in the Premier League and five points adrift of league leaders Liverpool. Guardiola’s side have played a game less than their old foes – and Aston Villa in second – but have won their last two games in the top-flight against Sheffield United and Everton.