**With all the disappointment of Sunday’s result against bitter rivals Sunderland, it’s easy to forget that Newcastle United defender Sven Botman had to go off injured midway through the game.**
It was just 10 minutes into the second half when Sven Botman took a boot to the head from eventual match winner Brian Brobbey and had to be subbed off.
Newcastle used a concussion substitution to bring on Malick Thiaw to replace the Dutchman following a pretty lengthy stoppage in play.
It was a substitution that looked to have restored Newcastle’s lead at one point when Malick Thiaw nodded home to give Newcastle a brief 2-1 advantage before the referee and VAR ruled the goal out for offside.
With all that happened after, we had actually forgotten how bad that Botman incident looked at the time.
Today, Newcastle United have confirmed via social media and on their official website that the big Dutchman has actually undergone surgery on a facial fracture.
And, as their post below highlights, it looks like Botman won’t be back until the ‘closing weeks’ of the 2025/26 season, handing Howe yet another injury headache.
> 🤕 Sven Botman has undergone successful surgery on a facial fracture.
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> He is not expected to be sidelined for an extended period and hopes to be available again during the closing weeks of the season.
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> Speedy recovery, Sven 💪
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> — Newcastle United (@NUFC) [March 23, 2026](https://twitter.com/NUFC/status/2036110975489946041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
It honestly feels as if it wasn’t for bad luck, we’d have had no luck at all this season.
It’s encouraging that the club doesn’t feel Botman will be out for too long, and with no game for three weeks, he’s probably not going to miss too many matches.
But Sven Botman’s luck with injuries since coming to England has been horrendous. It’s like he can’t build up a head of steam or put together a run of games without being struck by a new issue.
It probably wouldn’t be so bad if he were an average player, but when he does get up to full fitness and full confidence, he’s an absolute beast. He was labelled a Rolls-Royce for a reason, but his injuries suggest there’s an Austin Allegro engine beneath the Spirit of Ecstacy.