Arca not to blame for knee injury, says Shearer

ALAN SHEARER has absolved Julio Arca of any blame for the injury which may have brought his career to a premature conclusion.

The 35-year-old Newcastle striker will undergo a scan today on his injured left knee and, if fears that he has suffered a tear to his medial ligament prove to be correct, he has almost certainly kicked his last ball with retirement just three competitive games away.

That would come as a huge blow to Shearer, caretaker boss Glenn Roeder and the legions of fans on Tyneside as an unlikely charge for Europe gathers pace.

But the former England captain insists Arca's part in his demise he and Tommy Miller both challenged Shearer during Newcastle's 4-1 win at Sunderland was purely accidental.

"To be fair, the Sunderland lad just fell on top of me," he said. "He fell on the outside of my knee and that puts pressure on the inside, and something has given in there. The knee is very sore and to be honest, it is not looking good at the moment.

"We will leave it until Thursday before I have a scan, but our medical people fear that there is a tear in the medial ligament."

Asked if that could mean the end of his career, he said: "It might be, to be honest. It doesn't feel good at the moment."

If that proves to be the case, Shearer will have least gone out on a high, having helped his side to their best derby victory over their arch rivals for 50 years and, in the process, exorcising a ghost which has haunted him for some time.

On November 18, 2000, the Magpies were trailing 2-1 to the Black Cats at St James' Park when the striker was handed a chance to level from the penalty spot with just minutes remaining. However, it was Sunderland keeper Thomas Sorensen rather than the Newcastle legend who wrote himself into Tyne-Wear history with a save which is still celebrated by Black Cats fans.

This time around, Shearer was not about to make the same mistake, handing his side a 2-1 lead from the spot as the visitors staged a remarkable fightback.

"I have waited five or six years to get another penalty against Sunderland," he admitted. "It's been a long time, but thankfully it was worth the wait.

"I have hardly slept since I missed that one, so really it was payback time. It's been a long time coming and it was nice to get my own back."

Shearer's goal his first for his hometown club against Sunderland was followed by Charles N'Zogbia's stunning solo effort and substitute Albert Luque's late fourth as the home side crumbled.