Newcastle last night put a positive spin on Jonny Wilkinson's latest injury setback. But severe doubts remain about his chances of making the Lions tour this summer.

A scan yesterday confirmed that Wilkinson has suffered another medial ligament problem with his left knee.

He was carried off during his comeback appearance against Harlequins on Sunday, having been sidelined for nine weeks after hurting the knee during a Heineken Cup defeat in Perpignan.

But while Newcastle rugby director Rob Andrew revealed he felt ''some sense of relief'' that the injury bulletin was not a lot worse, Wilkinson is clearly fighting to save his season.

The Falcons refused to speculate on how long their star fly-half might be sidelined, but another two-month lay-off would weaken his Lions chances.

Lions head coach Sir Clive Woodward is due to name the squad on April 11, with departure date inked in for May 25.

He could conceivably still select Wilkinson in the party, given that the first Test against the All Blacks is not until June 25.

But it would be a huge gamble unless England's World Cup final hero makes a rapid recovery.

The 25-year-old has not played Test rugby since England were crowned world champions in Sydney 16 months ago.

During that time, he was out for eight months with a neck and shoulder problem, then he suffered a bicep injury which meant another two months sidelined, before his first knee injury meant an absence between early January and mid-March.

''An injury is never good news, but this could have been so much worse, so there is some sense of relief,'' said Andrew.

''Jonny has shown in recent years that he has the strength of character to get over a blow such as this, and I am sure he will return stronger than ever, such is his amazing determination.

''We won't be making any comments at this stage as to when Jonny might return.

''But we are just thankful that there is no damage to the anterior cruciate ligament, which would have meant a much longer period out of the game.''

Newcastle say Wilkinson is awaiting comparisons to be made between the old and new knee injury scans, adding that it will take a few days for symptoms to die down before a totally accurate assessment can be made.

They also added that ''preliminary reports'' suggested his injury was ''not as bad as first thought''.

Given Wilkinson's horrendous run of injuries post-World Cup though, the odds are stacked against him playing again this season. The biggest blow for the club is that he will miss the Heineken Cup quarter-final clash against French champions Stade Francais on April 2.

With Samoan back row man Semi Sititi suffering a broken jaw against Quins and lock Craig Hamilton a shoulder injury, Newcastle now have 12 on the casualty list, plus hooker Matt Thompson and prop David Wilson suffering from mumps.

"In all my years in rugby I have never known anything like it," said Andrew.

Wilkinson was hurt when he tackled Quins prop Ceri Jones, and after receiving treatment on the pitch, was helped away by Newcastle's medical staff.

He had started the match, kicking two penalties and a conversion, and would undoubtedly have been considered for England duty against RBS 6 Nations Championship opponents Scotland at Twickenham next Saturday.