Joey Barton may need surgery to repair the medial knee ligament injury that will sideline him for more than two months.

Joe Kinnear: "Joey is on crutches now, but whether or not he will need to have surgery needs to be finalised.

"If the treatment he is having now doesn't take, they are going to look at something else. Surgery might be the next option. Whatever happens, he will be out for eight to ten weeks.