Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has warned that Sven Botman is not close to a return any time soon - despite club images of the Dutchman back in training.
Botman has not played since March in the FA Cup quarter-finals against Manchester City before going under the knife to solve a longstanding and nagging knee injury. The centre-back's return will give Howe a huge selection issue given the form of 6ft 7in [Blyth](https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/all-about/blyth) lad Dan Burn and long serving Fabian Schar, who have both been excellent this term.
When asked about the potential headache, [Howe](https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/all-about/eddie-howe) told Chronicle Live: "I think it is a long way off at the moment. But certainly if and when Sven returns at his best level he will be a brilliant addition to the squad.
"Then it will be up to me to find the right balance in the team. It is not something at the minute that is in my conscience thinking, my conscience thinking is very much the next few games and step by step.
"Sven was a massive player for us and I don't think you can underestimate how much we've missed his certain qualities that he brought to us. His technical ability in our build-up, he had a beautiful switch of play that brought Kieran into play in our Champions League qualification season.
"We had a great dynamic on that side of the pitch, a lot of the time through Sven's distribution so I think we have really missed it. He is a great lad as well, he is really popular in the dressing room as well so he has got a lot of key attributes we have missed."
But Howe warned that he won't rush Botman back, he added: "It has to be right for Sven and he has to build up in the right way and we have to look after him. It is not an easy injury or a simply injury to recover from.
"He is now in the final stages and we have to manage him well. We certainly don't want to make a mistake in the last few weeks."
Botman himself said last month: "I cannot wait for that moment when I'm back on the pitch and playing in our stadium with the team. 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."