NEWCASTLE midfielder Joey Barton will be sidelined for up to eight weeks after damaging a knee ligament on Saturday.
He limped off 17 minutes into Saturday’s 2-2 Barclays Premier League draw with Wigan after being hurt in a challenge with Lee Cattermole.
Barton left St James’ Park on crutches and underwent scans which revealed a slight tear to his right med
ial ligament. A club spokesman said: “After further assessment following earlier scans, he has damage to his right medial ligament and will be out for eight weeks.”
Barton, who absolved Cattermole of any blame, was philosophical as he prepared for another enforced lay-off. He said: “I am not blaming Lee Cattermole in any way for this injury. It was a 50-50 ball and we both went for it, and these things happen.
“Obviously, it’s disappointing and frustrating, and my sole intention is to knuckle down and bounce back and get fit again to help the Newcastle cause.”
The injury will result in yet another interruption to Barton’s career on Tyneside, which began last summer when he completed a £5.8million switch from Manchester City.
A fractured metatarsal delayed his competitive debut, but the problems which have hampered him since have been largely self-inflicted. He spent time behind bars on remand after being arrested following an incident in Liverpool city centre which later led to him serving 74 days in jail for assault and affray.
Barton was also handed a 12-game ban, six of them suspended, for a training ground incident involving then City team-mate Ousmane Dabo.
He returned to action as a substitute in the derby defeat at Sunderland on 25 October, and made his first start of the campaign three days later in the 2-1 home win over West Brom.
However, with just two further appearances under his belt, he may not play again this calendar year, further weakening the squad available to Joe Kinnear, the interim manager. Kinnear, meanwhile, has insisted there is no rift between himself and captain Michael Owen.
Kinnear opted to use the England striker only as a substitute in the 2-2 draw with Wigan, despite the 28-year-old’s assertion in his programme notes that he has been fit after a groin injury for a couple of weeks.
Kinnear
said: “People are trying to put a wedge between us for whatever reason.
“Obviously, the fact is that Michael’s concerned about his future and his contract. If I’m appointed, I will do something about it. And for what it’s worth, I have said from day one that he should be in the England squad.”
The full article contains 455 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
