Shepherd 'not hopeful' on Shearer recovery
Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd is pessimistic over Alan Shearer’s chances of resuming his career after the 35-year-old suffered suspected knee ligament damage.
Shearer will undergo a scan on Thursday to discover whether he will be fit for the Magpies’ last three games of his final season as they bid to scrape a place in the UEFA Cup.
Shepherd admitted: “It is not very hopeful but you can never say never with Alan Shearer.
“He is going to have a scan in a couple of days when the swelling goes down and we will take it from there.”
Shearer, who extended his record Newcastle goalscoring mark to 206 with a 61st-minute penalty against Sunderland on Easter Monday, is desperate to sign off by securing Glenn Roeder’s men a place in Europe.
But Shepherd insisted whatever the outcome of Thursday’s test, Shearer has done enough for the club and is expected to stay on in some capacity when his playing career does come to an end.
Shepherd told BBC Radio Five Live: “He has done his duty for Newcastle and nobody can deny that. He is certainly the best buy Newcastle has made in its history and that has been proved many times.
“I think he will continue to be associated with the club in some way whether as a turnstile operator or an ambassador or whatever. He is not going to cut connections with Newcastle and will be involved in some way.”
