Source: Daily_Mail
Davide Santon travels to London in hope of avoiding knee surgery
Newcastle full-back Davide Santon has travelled to London to have fluid drained from his injured knee in an attempt to avoid surgery.[LNB]The 20-year-old Italian, who had been in line to make his first-team debut for the club at Aston Villa on Saturday, damaged his right knee is training last week, and there were fears that he could be missing for a month.[LNB]However, manager Alan Pardew is keeping his fingers crossed that he could return to training within days.[LNB] Capital calling: Santon has travelled to London to have fluid drained from his knee[LNB]He said: 'He has gone to London today and will have his knee drained of a little bit of fluid that's on it, and then we are hoping that he will train.[LNB] Waiting game: Newcastle boss Alan Pardew[LNB]'If that doesn't work, probably at some stage, we will have to look at some keyhole surgery in there to make sure that this fluid doesn't appear again.'[LNB]Santon's absence is a blow for Pardew, who signed him from Inter Milan to replace Jose Enrique following the Spaniard's move to Liverpool.[LNB]Utility man Ryan Taylor has been filling in at left-back, but it remains to be seen whether he gets a rest for Tuesday night's Carling Cup third round trip to Nottingham Forest.[LNB]Frenchman Hatem Ben Arfa, who has not played a competitive game for the club in almost a year, will figure at the City ground, but Alan Smith will miss out with a hamstring injury and Dan Gosling is a doubt with a groin problem.[LNB] Aston Villa 1 Newcastle 1: Boos ring out for McLeish as Bent keeps fluffing his lines Jose really is the Special One: Madrid boss donates gong for Sir Bobby auctionAll the latest Newcastle news, features and opinion [LNB]
