Newcastle's Taylor in new setback

Liverpool 2-0 Newcastle

Newcastle defender Steven Taylor is to undergo shoulder surgery, which will rule him out for up to three months.

The 19-year-old suffered a recurrence of the injury in his comeback match against Liverpool on Boxing Day.

Taylor had to go off after only 28 minutes of the 2-0 loss when he landed awkwardly after an aerial challenge with Fernando Morientes.

"I'm devastated to be honest," he told the club's website. "I was conscious of the injury right from the start."

He added: "I think that was natural because there was a fear that the shoulder could pop out again.

"But I had to test it out at some point. It could have gone three or four games down the line, it could have lasted until the end of the season.

"It was one of those situations where I didn't know what was going to happen and, unfortunately, it went at Liverpool in the first game back.

Taylor initially injured his shoulder while playing for England Under-21s in November.

He added: "I will have to have it operated on as soon as possible now and get back as quickly as I can.

"I knew as soon as I made the challenge in the air that it had gone again.

"I felt it go when I jumped up and when I landed it was really painful. I tried to pop it back in but it was already strapped up as a precaution and it wouldn't go back in."