London  - Newcastle pair Michael Owen and Joey Barton are set for lengthy spells on the sidelines after both suffered ankle injuries in action on Wednesday.

Owen cracked a bone in his ankle playing against Manchester City and will be out for about six weeks. Barton suffered a similar injury and will miss 10 weeks.

"It's one thing after another at the moment," Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear said.

"Michael's on crutches already for protection and he's going to have a scan tomorrow.

"Joey's going to have a scan on his ankle as we're not sure whether he has cracked it or not. He said he felt something crack in his right ankle, so we're going to check that out tomorrow."

The news is a massive blow to Newcastle's hopes of pulling away from trouble near the bottom of the English league table, and also to Owen's hopes of an England recall.

The striker will now definitely miss England's friendly against Spain on February 11. (dpa)