Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton will not play for the Magpies "in the near future", according to the therapist treating the 25-year-old.Barton is currently residing at the Sporting Chance Clinic in Hampshire after being released from prison, where he had been remanded after being charged with assault after a night out in Liverpool.

And therapist Peter Kay has said the player will not be available to Sam Allardyce until after his next court appearance in Liverpool on January 16.

Kay told The Guardian: "Until the 16th of January, Joey will be with me 24 hours a day.

"As for him playing, it will not be happening in the near future. There are bail guidelines we are adhering to and we're concentrating on the work we need to do, which is going well."

Newcastle have been keen to keep Barton fit within the confines of his bail conditions but Kay insists the player's mental rather physical health is his immediate concern.

He added: "We do not play keepy-uppy in the garden; we do work of a different nature.

"We are getting on with the work we need to do, which is separate from football, and I could not hope for anything better than what is happening."

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