[kennethlindheim]

NEWCASTLE winger Damien Duff faces six months out after undergoing foot surgery.

Duff, 28, has struggled with injuries since joining the Magpies from Chelsea for £5million last summer.

The Irishman went under the knife last week and club officials hope he will be fit for the start of the new Premiership campaign in August.

But reports from Dublin, where Duff is recuperating, suggest he faces a lengthy lay-off.

A Newcastle spokesman said: "Damien underwent surgery on his injured right foot last Friday.

"He has been sidelined since the game at Portsmouth on April 14 but the operation was a success."

Duff was expected to be a key member of Glenn Roeder's squad after quitting Stamford Bridge in search of regular football.

He was used as a striker and an emergency left-back due to Newcastle's crippling injury list.

But his future could now be in doubt following Roeder's departure and the imminent arrival of ex-Bolton boss Sam Allardyce.

The Sun Online - Football: Injury blow rocks Newcastle