Owen faces lengthy spell out

Newcastle United striker Michael Owen faces a lengthy spell out after injuring his ankle in his side's 2-1 defeat by Manchester City yesterday.

Owen hobbled out of the match after 19 minutes and faces scans on Thursday to reveal the extent of the damage.

"Michael's on crutches for his own protection and he's going to have a scan tomorrow," Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear told the club's website (www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk) on Wednesday.

To make matters worse for relegation-threatened Newcastle, midfielder Joey Barton also suffered an ankle injury.

"Joey's gone for a scan, he's not sure if he's cracked it or not," Kinnear said. "He said he felt something crack in his right ankle. "Michael and Joey are both facing a spell on the sidelines."