Matt Ritchie facing surgery and 'lengthy lay-off' at Newcastle United

Ritchie suffered a shoulder injury in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in a collision with Matt Doherty in the behind-closed-doors Premier League game. The injury is similar to that suffered by United defender Fabian Schar against Tottenham late last season, according to head coach Steve Bruce.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s Carabao Cup tie away to Newport County, Bruce said: “He’ll probably have an operation today – I know he's seeing the surgeon today – or, certainly, in the next 24, 48 hours.

“It's a very similar injury to Fab Schar, disruption of the joint, so how unfortunate are we? To have one is bad enough, but to have two in a matter of weeks is incredible.

“It looks as if he'll need an operation and it will be performed very shortly.

“We're looking at a lengthy lay-off. We know how valuable he is around the training ground, and what he is.

"He's got that little bit of leadership about him, and with any good player, it's a miss.

“The one thing (injuries) that is a concern ... last year we were badly hindered with injury, and there's another one where you're unfortunate to have one shoulder, let alone two players.

“That, along with (Paul) Dummett, and the long-term injury of Matty Longstaff, and the long-term injury of Ciaran Clark, it's a bit of a concern that we have these injuries, which obviously you can't prevent – it's a physical game.”