Newcastle United knew that Steven Taylor's Achilles problem sustained during Newcastle's 3-0 home loss to Chelsea last weekend was unlikely to be good news, and now the worst case scenario has come to pass. A club spokesman has confirmed that the injury will require surgery and that the expected return date is not until next season:
Steven Taylor Achilles Injury Rules Newcastle Defender Out For Season
After medical assessment, he will be having surgery on Monday. It is likely he will be out for the rest of the season.
This is devastating news for a team that's relied on Taylor's commanding partnership with Fabricio Coloccini during a fantastic start to the season, and with Coloccini also injured (fortunately it'll be for nowhere near as long as Taylor) there's a real threat that the good work done during the first three months will be for naught. Barring a miracle, you can write off Newcastle's chances of threatening the top four for good, and unless they spend a lot of money on a replacement for Taylor in the January window finishing in the Europa league slots looks far less likely than it did all of two days ago.
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