Newcastle United will be without captain Dan Burn for the coming weeks, and the latest assessment of the defender's ankle injury hasn't quite delivered encouraging news for Matthias Jaissle.
Burn missed Newcastle's 2-2 Premier League draw against Liverpool after rolling his ankle during a training session last Thursday. The 34-year-old arrived at St. James' Park for the game wearing a protective boot and using crutches, raising concerns about the severity of the problem.
According to The Daily Mail's Craig Hope , Burn damaged the deltoid ligaments in his ankle but, crucially, will not require surgery.
"The good news is that the club captain does not need surgery," Hope reported.
That said, Newcastle don't expect Burn to be available until after the September international break, with the defender likely to use those three weeks without club games to rebuild his fitness on Tyneside.
Burn himself has also opened up and explained exactly how the injury happened and confirmed a similar recovery timeline after traveling to London to consult a specialist.
"I missed the game due to an injury I picked up on training on Thursday," Burn told Newcastle's official matchday program for Wednesday's Carabao Cup matchup. "I rolled my ankle and went down to London to see a specialist on Friday."
Burn also revealed the extent of his initial discomfort while Newcastle attempted to keep news of the injury quiet before the Liverpool game.
"I was in agony, trying to walk through Newcastle city centre without limping, and then I had people asking me on the train what I was going down for, so I was having to make up all sorts of excuses," Burn said. "We did well to keep the injury under wraps until a few hours before kick-off."
Despite the initial pain, Burn does not expect the setback to keep him sidelined for a period extending beyond the international break.
"It's not my first injury and I'm sure it won't be my last but hopefully I won't be out for long — I expect to be back after the international break," Burn said.
Hope added that Newcastle currently has no plans to enter the transfer market for another center back, leaving Sven Botman, Malick Thiaw and Fabian Schar as Jaissle's senior options while Burn recovers.
How big a loss will Burn be over the next few weeks, and should Newcastle reconsider signing another center back before the deadline? Let us know in the comments section below.
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