STEVE BRUCE will attempt to push through a short-term deal for a left-back after Jetro Willems and Paul Dummett were both ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Willems needs an operation that will sideline him for the remainder of his loan spell after damaging his cruciate ligaments during Saturday’s 1-0 win over Chelsea.

Dummett will also miss the rest of the season after he sustained a tendon injury in his leg that also required surgery.

Matt Ritchie replaced Willems from the bench at the weekend, and the Scotsman is now Newcastle’s only option in the left wing-back role.

As a result, Bruce will be looking to complete a deal for a new left-sided defender before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

Bruce said: “It’s what we feared. He’s (Willems) ruptured his anterior cruciate and will miss the rest of the season. We’ve had bad news on Dummett too. It looks as though he’s probably ruled out for the rest of the season too with a tendon injury in his leg. In that respect, it’s been a bad weekend.

“We’ve been unfortunate, so maybe yes, we have to do something now. Matt Ritchie played there on Saturday, but he’s just back after four months out.

“We’ll have a look in that particular area. It’s unfortunate because Jetro was settling in well and adapting to life in the Premier League. He’s been a very good player for us.”

Willems’ future beyond the end of the current campaign is now extremely uncertain. Newcastle had agreed a fee of around €11m for the Dutchman when they completed his loan deal from Eintracht Franfurt in the summer, and it had been expected they would trigger the clause to sign the Dutchman permanently.

They are now likely to wait until Willems has completed his recovery before making a decision over his future, with his surgery plan currently in the hands of his parent club, Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bruce said: “The big thing now is just the welfare of Jetro. Unfortunately, it’s his second serious knee injury in three years, but he’s a strong-minded individual. The big thing now is to let him have the operation and recover, and then we’ll review the situation in two or three weeks.

“We’ve informed his parent club. He belongs to the German club and our doctor has been in touch with theirs already. He’s their player so the parent club will always have the last word. Whether he’s going to be operated in London, Germany or Holland, that will be decided by the player and his parent club.”