Davide Santon (Re)Injures Right Knee; Prognosis Unknown

Davide Santon injured his right knee in training on Thursday, according to manager Alan Pardew.

Unfortunately Davide has hurt his knee in training and been sent for a scan. It is an injury he has had before, we think it is a cartilage problem. We thought it was best to send him for a scan.

via ChronicleLive

UPDATE: Santon has been ruled out for the Aston Villa match, according to Sky Sports.

English reporters are frustratingly non-specific when it comes to injury news.  It is not known what kind of "scan" Santon has undergone (X-ray? MRI? CAT? Could be a "visual scan" for all we know), but the fact that Newcastle felt he needed outside medical attention should speak to the seriousness of the injury, to some degree. 

Santon sustained a lateral meniscus injury (lack of specificity rears its ugly head once more) in that same knee in November of 2009, requiring some sort of surgery.  The injury sidelined him for just under two months, but he reinjured it when he returned to action too quickly. 

We don't know the extent of this injury, and it would be irresponsible to speculate without knowing the results of his medical procedure, but it would be very easy for a pessimist to imagine a scenario where Santon doesn't play for several weeks.  The Italian prospect was expected to be a replacement for Jose Enrique Sanchez, and failing that, at least an upgrade at fullback, a sure deficiency for Newcastle so far in the young season.  Now it appears that Ryan Taylor and Danny Simpson may have found some unexpected job security for the immediate future.