Newcastle Jets marquee player Fabio Vignaroli could be sidelined for at least six months after sustaining a serious knee injury yesterday. The 33-year old Italian went down in the first half of the Jets' 3-2 win over Gold Coast United at EnergyAustralia Stadium in what seemed an innocuous fall but scans today are expected to reveal torn anterior cruciate ligaments.

The injury will have Vignaroli out of action for a lengthy time and has certainly put a cloud over his playing future.

Jets coach Branko Culina confirmed the injury, saying it was a major blow for the club.

"While it's terrific to win the game, it's very disappointing, because it looks like he's out for the whole year," Culina said. "It's a huge blow when you miss key players," he told the Newcastle Herald.

It seems now that Newcastle will have to reassess contract talks they had begun with Vignaroli prior to yesterday's misfortune.