Rob Elliot was in tears after being told his season was over

Rob Elliot has revealed he was reduced to tears when he realised he would miss both the chance to help Newcastle retain their Premier League status and a trip to the Euro 2016 finals.

The 29-year-old goalkeeper was ruled out for “a number of months” when tests back on Tyneside on Wednesday afternoon confirmed the initial diagnosis that he had suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage during the Republic of Ireland’s 2-2 friendly draw with Slovakia on Tuesday evening.

That means he will sit out the Magpies’ remaining eight games and Ireland’s summer adventure.

Elliot told Newcastle’s official website, www.nufc.co.uk: “Sustaining the injury happened in a split-second. The ball was played across the goal and I moved across to get in line.

“I dived after the ball as I would do in any training session or any game, but I felt pain straight away. Watching it back, I grabbed my knee before I’d even landed.

“When I found out it was my cruciate ligament, that’s when the tears came. There was a wave of emotion, knowing I would miss the rest of the season with Newcastle and the Euros with Ireland.

“But you have to let that come, get past it and then look to be positive.”

Elliot plans to speak to former team-mates Ryan Taylor and Dan Gosling, who have recovered from similar injuries, as well as fellow goalkeeper Tim Krul, who is currently working his way back to fitness after rupturing his own anterior cruciate ligament, as he plots a way forward.

Elliot, who tweeted his thanks to the FAI and the Magpies for the care they have given him and well-wishers for their support, was hurt as he dived in vain in an attempt to keep out Miroslav Stoch’s opener just 14 minutes into his second start for Ireland with manager Martin O’Neill having handed him a chance to stake his claim for the number one spot at the finals.

That role is now likely to go to either 39-year-old Shay Given, who could now get his chance for club Stoke after his own recovery from a knee problem with Jack Butland facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines, or the man who finished the qualifying campaign in possession, West Ham’s Darren Randolph.

Randolph, who has known Elliot since they were trainees together at Charlton, was among the first to offer his best wishes to his compatriot.

He said: “I’ve known him since we were 15 and I know him quite well. I don’t want to see that happen to anybody, at any stage, let alone Rob. He’s been on fire.

“There’s never a good time for that to happen, but it’s the worst possible time for it to happen to him now.”

There was sympathy too from defender John O’Shea, who accompanied Elliot, wearing a knee brace and using crutches for support, on his flight back to the north-east from Dublin.

Sunderland skipper O’Shea said: “It’s a big blow for Robbie personally. I flew over with him on the plane from Newcastle, so I could see how much he was looking forward to coming over and showing what he could do.

“With the season he was having, he was keen to keep that momentum going, but unfortunately that’s football. It could happen in training, but it just happened in the game.”

O’Neill had lamented the loss of Elliot following Tuesday’s game:

“It’s really cruel at this time of his career that he’s gone and done that. He’s been waiting some time for a run of games at club level.

“He came here and he knew he’d play one of the games and it’s really serious now. It’s a big blow to him and a big blow to us.”