Alexander Isak of Newcastle United celebrates scoring
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has insisted that Sven Botman will play again this season after confirming the player will undergo a small procedure on his knee.
Having had Lewis Hall ruled out for the rest of the season already, Howe is desperate to retain the services of the Dutchman but it looks like he could miss the Carabao Cup final showpiece against Liverpool.
Howe, speaking at his Press conference ahead of the trip to West Ham, said: "We've been trying to get him back to full fitness and he was actually very close for the Brighton game, just the day before one of the last actions in training, he felt the same problem in his knee.
"So that meant, again, just a sort of a resetting but we still hoped that he could come back. But then this week again he's got the same discomfort so looks like he'll now have to have an operation.
"This has come actually from a knock in one of his first games back. He didn't view it as a big issue but I think there's, without going into too much technically, he just needs a really small operation just to clear out some fluid. We hope he should be back in about eight weeks."
Botman had lashed out on social media on Thursday at claims that he was set to be out for the rest of the season. Even with the eight week assessment, however, that would mean a return of around the first week in May, with only three games left of the season.
In a week which also resulted in Hall being ruled out, Howe was able to reflect for the first time on the setback for the ex-Chelsea youngster.
Hall said: "We're really disappointed and devastated for him as he had so much to look forward to. With the cup final and Lewis would have had international experiences coming up. He was in really good form. The most important thing is his recovery now.
When asked when Hall suffered the injury, Howe said: "It was from the game (at Liverpool) but I I don't necessarily think it was in that game. I think there was a slight build upon speaking to Lewis afterward and trying to find out the sort of timeline of the injury - but that was the game where I think the feeling in his ankle had just got to the point where it needed investigating.
"He played very well in the game, but he just had a bit of stiffness and swelling afterward. So we investigated and obviously it's landed at this point."
Howe was also asked about Anthony Gordon's ban and explained the club were told not to appeal it on legal advice despite a will from the player and his representatives to see if it could be overturned.
Howe said: "I think there's always a discussion point and we discussed it as a club with lawyers. We did not feel there was sufficient grounds to do it."