Brian Kerr eyes comeback and new contract

By Karl Wilkinson
December 3 2003

Scotland international Brian Kerr is slowly battling back to fitness as he bids to win an extended contract at Newcastle United.

Kerr broke his ankle playing for loan club Livingston in the Scottish Premier League last month and hopes to be back playing in mid-January.

Kerr would like to stay at St James' Park having come up through the ranks at the club but Kerr knows that he is well down the pecking order at United following the arrivals of Lee Bowyer and Darren Ambrose.

Livingston themselves had wanted to land Kerr on a permanent contract but there's also interest from the English First Division and other SPL clubs.

Scotland boss Berti Vogts rates the midfielder so highly that clubs in his native Germany have also been alerted to Kerr, who has made 13 appearances in a black and white shirt and also turned out on loan for Coventry City.

Kerr now just wants to get back to fitness as soon as possible to see out the final months of his contract.

"Right away I knew I'd broken something," said Kerr. "I heard the crack and once I was back in the dressing room the doctor found the break just above the ankle.

"Hopefully I'll be back in around six weeks, which would be mid-January. I'd been enjoying things at Livingston. We were fifth in the league and had been playing OK but all I can do now is concentrate on getting fit.

"As for my future, that's down to Newcastle United. I'm a Newcastle United player for the next six months and there's no better place to play football."