Stephen Ireland's future uncertain after failing to impress Newcastle

Posted Thursday, April 28, 2011 by theguardian.com

• On-loan midfielder ruled out for season with ankle injury
• Newcastle disappointed by interview in French magazine

Stephen Ireland's future uncertain after failing to impress Newcastle
Stephen Ireland has played only a handful of games for Newcastle and his chances of signing permanently have diminished.

Stephen Ireland is staring at an uncertain future after his frustrating loan stint with Newcastle United ended on a disappointing note when the midfielder was ruled out of the season's final four games with an ankle injury.

Well aware he has no future at Aston Villa – certainly while Gérard Houllier exerts any influence over first-team affairs – Ireland had hoped to secure a summer transfer to St James' Park after joining on loan in January.

Knee and thigh injuries sidelined him until this month, during which he has made two substitute appearances, and ankle damage sustained in the second of those games, at Blackpool, means he will not play any further part in proceedings.

Newcastle will "reassess" Ireland's situation over the close season and his hope of securing a move there seems in doubt, particularly as Alan Pardew, the manager, has repeatedly challenged the former Manchester City playmaker to prove he was worth investing in.

Ireland displayed some promising touches during his cameo in last week's 0-0 draw at home to Manchester United but had already planted doubts in the minds of Newcastle executives with an undiplomatic interview given to a French football magazine. In it the 24-year-old was rather rude about both Birmingham and his native Cork while suggesting that Los Angeles was his natural habitat.

By way of exacerbating Ireland's troubles, he has spent much of the past couple of weeks visiting the hospital in Cheshire where his partner is recovering from the serious, multiple injuries she sustained in a recent car crash.

Meanwhile a hamstring injury has dictated that Danny Welbeck may well have played his last game for Sunderland. The 20-year-old Manchester United striker has spent this season on loan at the Stadium of Light but has returned to Old Trafford for treatment on an injury that will almost certainly sideline him for the remainder of the season.

Steve Bruce, Sunderland's manager, would ideally like to buy Welbeck, or at least extend the loan by another season, but he is not overly optimistic about either scenario materialising.

"It looks like we'll be without Danny and Asamoah Gyan for the rest of the season," Bruce said. "It's a massive blow." Gyan, Sunderland's £13m Ghana striker, is also recovering from a hamstring injury.