Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes out for weeks rather than months with ankle injury

Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes will be sidelined for a matter of weeks rather than months after a scan on his injured ankle revealed no serious damage.

There were fears the Brazilian could have suffered torn ligaments during Sunday’s 1-0 win over Fulham when boss Eddie Howe said afterwards that the player was still in some distress, adding ‘that is never a good sign’.

The 25-year-old left the field in tears at half-time after rolling his ankle and playing on for 25 minutes. Howe later admitted he perhaps should have made a substitution earlier.

Guimaraes was sent for a scan on Monday and Sportsmail can reveal that the results are positive. We understand he is looking at a period of at least a week – or weeks – in the treatment room, but not much longer.

That could still mean he misses both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Southampton – scheduled for January 24 and 31 – but Newcastle will know more in the coming days.

Guimaraes missed three games earlier this season with a hamstring problem, and Newcastle failed to win any of those matches, drawing twice and losing at Liverpool.

That defeat at Anfield remains Newcastle’s only league defeat of the season, and Guimaraes has played a vital role in their outstanding campaign so far, with the Magpies currently up in third place.

He has scored three top-flight goals this term, including a brace in a 5-1 win against Brentford in October.

As well as potentially missing Newcastle’s double-header with Southampton, Guimaraes is almost certain to miss his side’s trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday, and could be a doubt for the team’s home match with West Ham on February 4. 

More to follow…