Sean Longstaff likely to miss rest of Newcastle's season with knee injury

Sean Longstaff has been ruled out for up to four months by knee ligament damage

Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff is likely to miss the rest of the season after scans revealed knee ligament damage.

The 21-year-old was forced off at half-time during the Magpies' defeat at West Ham on Saturday and saw a specialist on Tuesday, after which the severity of the damage was confirmed.

The Newcastle academy product made his Premier League debut in December before quickly establishing himself as a first-team regular under Rafael Benitez, with the West Ham game marking his 11th consecutive start in all competitions.

Longstaff has established himself as a first-team regular under Rafael Benitez since making his Premier League debut in December

"Newcastle United can confirm midfielder Sean Longstaff is likely to miss the remainder of the 2018/19 season with a knee ligament injury," said a club statement released on Thursday.

The injury comes as a blow to Newcastle's Premier League survival hopes, with Benitez's side only six points clear of the relegation zone with nine games remaining.

2:59 Highlights from West Ham's win over Newcastle in the Premier League Highlights from West Ham's win over Newcastle in the Premier League

Longstaff came through the club's youth system and had loan spells with Kilmarnock and Blackpool, before finally being given his opportunity at St James' Park.

The homegrown talent scored his first league goal for the club in a crucial 2-0 victory over Burnley last month, with his performances having kept the likes of Jonjo Shelvey, Mohamed Diame and Ki Sung-yeung out of the team.