Sven Botman is edging closer to a first-team return for Newcastle United, with the centre-back set to make his first appearance since March after being named in the club’s under-21 side to face Chelsea on Monday night.
The 24-year-old’s last senior appearance came exactly nine months ago, when Botman suffered an anterior cruciate knee ligament (ACL) injury during the 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Manchester City on March 16.
The Athletic revealed last week that Botman was pencilled in to get some minutes for the Under-21s as part of his managed return to first-team action and his appearance at Whitley Park has been confirmed.
Following Callum Wilson and Nick Pope’s respective hamstring and knee injuries, news of Botman’s hopefully imminent first-team return is a significant positive for Eddie Howe.
Lewis Miley, Kieran Trippier and Matt Targett are other senior players who have been given game time for the Under-21s this season, during phased rehabilitation periods after injuries. Botman’s nine-month absence demands increased caution in his own considered return, however, and Howe has suggested the Dutchman is unlikely to feature much over the hectic festive schedule.
“He’s been training consistently now for around four weeks but that was the plan,” Howe said at his pre-Leicester City press conference on Friday. “We are taking medical advice and trying to follow the right protocols for the injury he’s had to try and make sure we give him the best chance to stay fit.
“The plan is late December or early January, at the earliest, he will be available for us.”
Botman had been absent for more than two months earlier in the 2023-24 campaign, having initially partially ruptured the same ACL. He actually suffered the first injury against Brentford on September 16, 2023, but played twice more before the knee swelled and the extent of the issue was diagnosed.
In March, Howe described Botman’s injury saga as “quite a complex story”. Howe stressed at a press conference that Newcastle’s “medical team” had “advised” Botman to get surgery following his initial problem. Botman was keen to keep playing, though, and Howe insisted the call was ultimately “player-led”, even if Newcastle then “backed the decision”.
At the Etihad Stadium on March 16, Botman tweaked his knee and was forced off. Four days later, Newcastle confirmed he would undergo surgery and suggested a new injury had occurred. Howe later declared that Botman “aggravated the initial problem”.
Regardless, and as well as Dan Burn has played while deputising at left-sided centre-half this season, having Botman back available will be a massive boost for Howe. During the 2022-23 campaign, when Newcastle finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League, Botman was one of the Premier League’s best-performing defenders.
(Top photo: George Wood/Getty Images)
