Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Sven Botman is just weeks away from a first-team return for Newcastle United.
The Dutch centre-back has been training for the past month as he enters the final steps of his recovery from an ACL injury picked up in March. As he enters the final weeks of his rehabilitation process, Botman has been scheduled to play for Newcastle United Under-21s to work on his match sharpness.
Newcastle Under-21s match against Chelsea at Whitley Park tonight could mark a return for the defender.
Read More
Botman joined Newcastle for £35million from Lille in 2022 and enjoyed an excellent first season on Tyneside as the club finished fourth in the Premier League with the joint-best defensive record in the division. But the 24-year-old’s 2023-24 campaign was blighted by injury as he suffered an initial ACL blow in September 2023 before suffering a second and requiring surgery in March 2024.
Botman was given a six to nine month recovery period following surgery which he is now in the latter stages of. But Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe has consistently urged caution despite the defender being back in full training and involved in 11-a-side practice matches behind the scenes.
Learning lessons from last season, Botman and Newcastle are being particularly careful and patient with a return to first-team action.
“He's been training consistently now for around four weeks,” Howe said. “But that was the plan. We're taking medical advice and trying to follow the right protocols for the injury he's had and make sure we give him the best chance to stay fit.
“I think the plan is late December, very early January is the earliest he'll be available for the first team.”
Continue Reading