Keane confirms Jones knee operation

Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones will undergo a knee operation on Monday, manager Roy Keane revealed after his side's 1-0 defeat to Ajax.

The Trinidad and Tobago forward suffered knee ligament damage on international duty against England in June.

And Keane confirmed that he will go under the knife to determine the seriousness of the injury saying: "Kenwyne's going in for an operation and we will know in 24 hours of the exact damage so fingers crossed."

He added: "We'll know one way or another so I'll be saying a few prayers."

Kieran Richardson is less of a concern for Keane, with the former Manchester United winger's absence for Sunday's match merely a precaution.

"Kieran just had a stiff back the last couple of days," Keane explained.

"There was no point risking him. I'd be very surprised if he wasn't on the flight to Ireland with us on Wednesday."

The Black Cats created the bulk of the opportunities against Marco van Basten's team at the Stadium of Light, but went down to Klaas Jan Huntelaar's strike nine minutes after half-time.