CHERRIES star Joshua King has officially withdrawn from international duty with Norway due to an ongoing back problem.

King was named in Lars Lagerback’s squad for friendlies with Macedonia and Slovakia but has remained in Bournemouth.

The frontman has been receiving intensive treatment from Cherries' medical staff and hopes to be in contention for the visit of Huddersfield a week tomorrow.

King returned to the Cherries starting line-up for the 1-0 win at Newcastle following a three-match absence due to a combination of his back complaint and illness.

The 25-year-old, who initially hurt his back during Cherries’ 3-2 win over West Ham in March, played the full 90 minutes at St James’s Park and turned in an accomplished display.

Norway face Macedonia in Skopje tomorrow (Saturday) before meeting Slovakia in Trnava on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Cherries striker Benik Afobe will play no part in DR Congo's final World Cup qualifier against Guinea tomorrow.

Afobe has been receiving treatment at Vitality Stadium after suffering a muscle strain during Cherries' 1-0 defeat by Chelsea last month.

He was ruled out of the trip to Newcastle and subsequently informed DR Congo officials he would not be available for their clash with Guinea in Kinshasa.

Afobe scored on his debut for DR Congo in a 2-0 win over Botswana in a friendly in June, his only cap for the country.