Barton ruled out for eight weeks

SOCCER: Newcastle's Joey Barton has been ruled out for eight weeks with a broken metatarsal in his right foot and will go under the knife tomorrow.

The Magpies have confirmed that the one-time England international suffered the injury against his former club Manchester City last night.

Barton limped out of the action in the second half of the 2-1 reverse at Eastlands, throwing his boot away in frustration as he trudged down the tunnel.

Joe Kinnear admitted after the match that Barton had heard a 'crack' which has now been diagnosed as a fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his right foot.

A statement on the club's official website read: "Joey will undergo surgery on Friday and is expected to be out for around eight weeks.

"The injury is identical to the one Joey suffered to his left foot at the beginning of last season."

Michael Owen suffered an ankle injury against City and was forced off after just 19 minutes, with scans set to reveal the extent of the damage later on Thursday.

With the Magpies battling against relegation in the Premier League and a Tyne-Wear derby with Sunderland looming on Sunday, the injuries could not have come at a worse time for Kinnear.

He is already missing a host of first-team regulars through injury and faces a fight to retain the services of goalkeeper Shay Given before the transfer window closes.