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It won’t be long until Sven Botman is back available for Newcastle United.
The Magpies have been without their star Dutchman for the last nine months after he underwent ACL surgery in March.
Botman initially suffered a partial ACL tear in September last year but opted for a non-surgical rehabilitation plan. He resumed playing in December but looked way off his best, eventually resulting in surgery three months later.
It’s been a long recovery road for the 24-year-old but the end is in sight.
In recent weeks, Botman has been pictured back on the grass and has joined in with parts of first-team training. He has regularly shared updates with fans on social media and his post on Friday was somewhat teasing.
“Great to be out there with the team again. 𝙂𝙤 time soon! ⌛️.. 🤍🖤”, Botman wrote on Instagram.
That has again raised hopes that his return is imminent, although Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said recently it’d be a “bonus” to have Botman back before the New Year.
“Sven is making good progress and we hope that he can begin light training with us within the next few weeks but there's still a jump from training to playing so we still need to be patient with him again,” Howe said last months.
“If we see him before the end of the year that would be a bonus but we're probably looking at more January for him.”
Whatever the return date, Botman can’t wait.
"I cannot wait for that moment when I'm back on the pitch and playing in our stadium with the team,” Botman said last week. “I remember when I came back from rehab for my knee in November, which was around three months, so it should be even more amazing than that this time around."
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