Jonny Wilkinson is waiting for results of a scan on his injured knee after it was feared the Newcastle fly-half sustained medial-ligament damage during the victory over Worcester.

The 27-year-old, who kicked England to World Cup glory in 2003 but has been beset by fitness problems since, picked up the injury early in the second half at Kingston Park when twisting his knee in a tackle.

Damage to the anterior-cruciate ligament is considered the worst knee injury for an athlete, but Wilkinson could still expect a spell on the sidelines before making a comeback.

Falcons director of rugby John Fletcher said: "We'll know more over the weekend, but indications at the moment are that it's his medial ligament, which is the lesser of the two evils.

"It was in a midfield contact and it looked like one of our players fell on his leg, but it will be assessed on Saturday once the bleeding and swelling has subsided, and we should know more then."

Wilkinson has suffered since the 2003 World Cup, including neck, bicep, knee ligament and groin problems. The only crumb of comfort this time was that he has not hurt the same knee he damaged twice before the 2005 Lions tour.

Even if it is not serious, the injury is a blow to Wilkinson's hopes of a recall to the England squad for the autumn internationals.

Fletcher added: "It's a big blow. He's a world-class player in a key position."