Steven Taylor ruptures Achilles Tendon; out "months"

Steven Taylor went down early in the second half during Newcastle's 3-3 draw with Burnley Thursday, and the prognosis is bad:

Steven Taylor ruptures Achilles tendon and out for a matter of months #nufc

— Lee Ryder (@lee_ryder) January 1, 2015

Ryder, in a tweet that has now been deleted, also reported that John Carver believed Taylor was out for the season. In either case, it leaves Newcastle short-handed at an already thin position. Senior players in the team who can play center back include Fabricio Coloccini, Mike Williamson, and Paul Dummett. They can also call Remie Streete and Curtis Good up from the reserves, but either would be less than ideal at this stage.

Newcastle did purchase Jamal Lascelles from Nottingham Forest this summer and loaned him back, but he has a clause saying he can't be recalled. Meanwhile, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, who was frozen out by Alan Pardew after some uneven performances, is on loan at Roma. Pardew's departure has brought with it speculation that Yanga-Mbiwa could be brought back by the new guy. However, caretaker John Carver appears intent on continuing Pardew's legacy, and since Roma has an option to buy, there is question about whether MYM could be recalled at all.

The transfer window opens in 2 days, so there is a modicum of hope that Newcastle could bring in help from outside, something they really needed to do anyway. One of the reasons given by new outlets for Pardew's departure was the unavailability of funds this winter, so that may be a pipe dream. Still, a long-term injury could be the catalyst for unplanned spending.

Unfortunately for Taylor, this is not the first time he's ruptured his Achilles, though he will take solace in the fact that he scored in the game in which he was injured. He famously got hurt against Chelsea in 2011, an injury that Alan Pardew blamed on referee Mike Dean. Dean was in charge of Thursday's match as well, but presumably no similar complaint is forthcoming from Carver.