Newcastle United winger ruled out of FA Cup tie after leaving stadium on crutches

Newcastle United winger Ryan Fraser has been ruled out of Southampton's FA Cup fifth round clash against Liverpool on Wednesday night.

Fraser, who joined the Saints on a season-long loan deal last summer, was forced off after just 18 minutes because of a knee injury as his side lost 2-1 away to Millwall in the Championship.

After the game, Saints boss Russell Martin revealed Fraser left The Den on crutches and would therefore miss the upcoming trip to Anfield.

"It is a sore one," Martin told the Daily Echo. We will have to assess things. He took a whack on his knee.

"Wee Man comes off and we lost a lot. We lost a lot of running and threat of assists and goals. The other guys need to contribute. We did not have Arma [Adam Armstrong] on the pitch because he was really tired. He was immense in the last couple of weeks.

"When they are not on the pitch the other players need to contribute as well. Unfortunately, we did not get that again. I've not got a clue at the moment how bad it is. He won't be available for the Liverpool game with the way he is. He is on crutches."

Newcastle will keep a keen eye on Liverpool v Southampton - if they get past Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday night. Jurgen Klopp's side are among the favourites to win the competition so a potential exit would only bolster the Magpies' hopes of ending their 55-year trophy drought.

Fraser will be a big miss for Southampton having scored eight goals in 32 appearances this term. He has one year remaining on his Newcastle contract but is unlikely to play for the club again after falling out with Eddie Howe last year.

The Saints have already expressed an interest in signing the Scotsman permanently. Martin said previously: “We want good players and we want good characters - Ryan definitely fits into that.

"The fact that he feels the way he feels after a short time here is really brilliant for us as a group of players and staff to show what we are trying to build here.

“People feel like they belong and they want to be a part of it. He is really enjoying himself, his energy has been brilliant over the last few weeks. He has been so good in training, he does everything properly whether that’s a passing drill or a warm-up.

“He’s a brilliant professional and he’s been really good for the group. The best thing he can do is carry on doing what he is doing. There will be so much that goes on between now and the end of the season."