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Newcastle United are set to be without Sven Botman for an extended period following a knee injury.
After returning from a 10 month ACL injury absence, Botman has now missed another month of action following a knock to his knee picked up in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg win over Arsenal at St James’ Park. Although the injury was initially played down as a ‘knock’, it was enough to keep him sidelined for five matches and now the defender requires surgery.
The operation will rule Botman out of Newcastle’s upcoming Premier League match against West Ham United as well as the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool. It comes after Lewis Hall’s season was cut short due to a foot injury that required surgery.
Botman’s latest knee injury is understood not to be ACL-related so the recovery timeframe following surgery will be significantly shorter. But there is still no guarantee he will be back before the end of the season as Newcastle will not take any risks over his fitness.
Botman returned to light training and was described by Howe as ‘close’ to being involved against Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup on Sunday but didn’t feel ‘100%’. Now he will be battling to be fit before the end of the season with just 10 Premier League games remaining after the upcoming international break.
The initial injury and subsequent surgery will see him ruled out for at least two months in total, though it will likely be longer as Newcastle head into the business end of their season.
Sven Botman injury frustration
It’s been a difficult couple of seasons for Botman, whose impact has been limited to just 18 league starts out of 65 since the start of last season. For a player who was previously a guaranteed starter when fit, it’s been a frustrating spell.
And perhaps that frustration reared its head on Thursday when Botman took to social media to comment on a supporter post that implied he could be out for the rest of the season.
“Don't sell b-------,” the 25-year-old wrote.
Newcastle are yet to officially confirm the extent of Botman’s injury having previously released a statement announcing surgery and a season-ending injury for Hall. Newcastle head coach Howe will address the situation in his Friday morning press conference ahead of the trip to West Ham on Monday.
At least four players set to miss Carabao Cup final for Newcastle United
Botman one of four Newcastle players set to miss the Carabao Cup final as things stand. Anthony Gordon is suspended for the next three matches against West Ham United, Liverpool and Brentford following his red card against Brighton on Sunday.
Jamaal Lascelles is still recovering from an ACL injury picked up almost a year ago while Hall will miss the remainder of the season. The 20-year-old left-back is targeting a return to action in pre-season.
Alexander Isak and Kieran Trippier were fitness concerns having been withdrawn in the defeat to Brighton on Sunday with muscle and back problems respectively. But both players have since been spotted back at the Newcastle training ground preparing for the upcoming matches.
Howe will be hoping for no more injury or suspension blows against West Ham on Monday as he looks to keep his side together and ready to face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium on March 16.
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