Newcastle United have been dealt a fresh injury blow heading into the final two games of the Premier League season.
They travel to the Emirates Stadium to face second-placed Arsenal on Sunday (4:30pm kick-off) before hosting Everton at St James’ Park on May 25 (4pm kick-off).
But they are set to be without some key players for the trip, with several injury blows confirmed in recent weeks.
‘Huge concerns’ over Sven Botman after Newcastle United withdrawal
Sven Botman started his first match in over three months as Newcastle beat Chelsea 2-0 at St James’ Park on Sunday.
The win sees them move three points clear of Chelsea and Villa and four points clear of Nottingham Forest in seventh with two games left to play.
Early in the second half, Botman was withdrawn due to a knee problem. Given his recent injury history, there was plenty of concern for the defender.
When asked if Botman was okay after the game, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe told The Gazette: “We hope so. He was icing a [knee] problem at half-time, so we hope he's okay.
“With that in mind and the fact I felt we needed to change tactically, we made a change, brought Lewy [Miley] on.
“It was a big moment for Lewy and I thought he handled that situation, a lot of pressure on him, really, really well, so I was really pleased.
“But the second half was very much a tactical affair with lots going on, so I'm pleased with the adaptability of the squad.”
The Telegraph has now claimed that Newcastle has ‘huge concerns’ that Botman will miss the final two games of the season. The Dutch defender has missed training this week ahead of Arsenal and is set for a scan.
Botman has started just six games for Newcastle this season due to various knee injury issues. The Dutchman suffered two ACL injuries last season with the second seeing him sidelined for 10 months.
He has featured twice against Arsenal this season, keeping two clean sheets in both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final as Newcastle won 4-0 on aggregate.
Newcastle United confirmed injury blows ahead of Arsenal
In addition to Botman, Newcastle could also be without Kieran Trippier and Joe Willock for the remainder of the season after they missed the Chelsea match due to injury. Joelinton is also a major doubt due to a knee injury while Matt Targett and Lewis Hall have already been ruled out for the rest of the campaign.
“We don’t think they’re big injuries,” Howe said on Trippier and Willock. “But there’s such a short amount of time left now before the end of the season.
“We’d love to get them back fit, and able to play a part, but at this moment in time, I’ve not really got any idea whether or not that’s possible.”
Howe added: “When you miss a player like Joelinton, he’s such an infectious character in so many different ways. When he’s missing, you’re looking for someone to step up. It’s the same with Kieran.
“He’s got so much experience and is very vocal, and you miss his vocal presence when he’s not there and not playing. I thought the players that came in did elevate us.
“I thought we played really well in that first half. I changed the system, and that changes a lot of things for us, but I thought the players’ tactical understanding was brilliant.”
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