Kieran Trippier could miss remainder of the season after going under the knife

Kieran Trippier has made a major impact since his arrival at Newcastle, but the full-back is now facing a fight to be fit before the end of the season after having surgery to repair his fractured metatarsal.

The 31-year-old England defender, a £12m January signing from Atletico Madrid, broke a bone in his left foot after scoring the only goal in last Sunday's 1-0 Premier League win over Aston Villa, their third in succession since his arrival.

Head coach Eddie Howe said: "He has his operation yesterday and that went well, so that was good news. I don’t know at this moment in time how long he’s going to be out.

"We hope to have him back before the end of the season, but it’s obviously a significant injury, which is a big blow to us because he was performing so well."

Since his arrival at St James' Park, Trippier has scored in each of his last two league games, bringing new leadership to the relegation-threatened club.

Pressed on how long he cold be missing, Howe added: "We hope to see him before the end of the season, but in terms of a definitive time, no. We’re going to have to see how his early rehab goes.

"As I said, the operation was a success, but it’s an opportunity now for someone else to step up in his place.

"But sadly, we’re going to miss his leadership skills on the pitch and everything that he was delivering for us. He’s scored two goals in the last two games which have been defining moments for us, but we’re confident we have enough quality in the squad to cover."