Newcastle United fans will not have to wait much longer to see Sven Botman back in action.
The last time Sven Botman played for Newcastle United was March 16th 2024. Nine months later, the big Dutchman is almost ready to return after his ACL injury.
Eddie Howe says Botman is back in full training, as Newcastle plan the next stage of his recovery.
It has been reported that Botman will play for the Newcastle Under-21s on December 16th, with a first-team return possibly on the horizon during the festive period.
It will be brilliant to have the 24-year-old back. He has been a major miss, and the Newcastle United defence should improve massively if he can get back to the level he was at during his first season at St James’ Park.
Lloyd Kelly will be worried as Sven Botman return nears
Manchester City's Norwegian striker #09 Erling Haaland (L) fights for the ball with Newcastle United's Dutch defender #04 Sven Botman during the En...
Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images
But Botman’s looming return is not good news for everyone associated with Newcastle United.
In fact, it is bad news for Lloyd Kelly.
The summer signing is already struggling for minutes, having lost his place in Eddie Howe’s side. After starting three of the Magpies’ first five Premier League games this season, Kelly is suddenly out of favour.
Lewis Hall has made the left-back position his own, while Kelly has been unable to get in at centre-back ahead of Dan Burn.
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He did have one opportunity when Burn was suspended, but Kelly wasted his big chance against West Ham. The 26-year-old struggled at St James’ Park that night, and has been an unused substitute ever since.
Now Botman’s return is looming, and that will only result in Kelly slipping further down the pecking order. He will suddenly be Newcastle’s third choice left-sided centre-back, while he is not getting a look in at left-back either.
Kelly will also struggle to play at left-back for Newcastle
That is because Lewis Hall has taken ownership of that position in recent months. He has been one of Newcastle’s best players this season, which resulted in Hall making his England debut.
Elsewhere, Newcastle also have Matt Targett back from injury. He is yet to make a competitive appearance for the Magpies this season, but is a more natural option at left-back than Kelly if Howe wanted to rotate.
On top of that, Burn could be an option at left-back again if Botman is quickly able to reclaim his place in the Newcastle starting XI alongside Fabian Schar.
While Kelly looked like a smart signing in the summer due to his flexibility, he appears to be getting further and further away from playing regularly in black and white.
Kelly recently said he wants to be a ‘leader’ at the back for Newcastle. Right now he will be lucky just to get on the pitch.
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