After reports this week suggested that Sven Botman could play in the U21s meeting with Chelsea on Monday, Eddie Howe has been discussing when the Dutchman should be back in first-team action.
Injury defined Botman 2023/24 season, having not seen the best of the 24-year-old since the Champions League qualifying campaign. A short spell on the sidelines with an ankle injury preceded a lengthy absence with knee issues, meaning we’ve not seen him in competitive action since March following ACL surgery.
A return may be soon on the cards for the former-Lille man, though it may be a short while before he gets a full 90 under his belt after a long period out.
Eddie Howe has confirmed his plan to reintroduce Botman to first-team football, with the centre-back potentially in action before the new year.
“The plan is late December or early January, at the earliest, he will be available for us,” Howe said when speaking to the media this week. “He’s been training consistently now for around four weeks but that was the plan.”
“We are taking medical advice and trying to follow the right protocols for the injury he’s had to try and make sure we give him the best chance to stay fit.”
The prospect of a return for the tough run of fixtures in the latter side of the festive period with clashes against Aston Villa, Manchester United and Tottenham back-to-back-to-back may prove to be too much too soon for Botman. But it seems there’s a chance.
Nevertheless, it will be a relief to see him back playing in what has been a shaky defensive line that has made amateurish mistakes at times, conceding some awful goals in last weekend’s 4-2 defeat away to Brentford.
It’s a bit cliche of course, but Botman returning to full fitness would really feel like a new signing in January, especially if our limited available funds will see us target at right-winger next month over revisiting a deal for Marc Guehi.
Although we kept a clean sheet against Leicester, we had conceded seven in our previous two games and Botman should reinvigorate a back-line that’s set to be without Nick Pope for the next month.
With Burn filling in impressively this season, Botman back soon, Schar still having plenty left to give and another centre-back set to sign next summer if we focus elsewhere in January, the centre of our defence could be back to looking healthy in 2025.