Chris Waugh shares what people close to Sven Botman are saying after he misses FA Cup game

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Newcastle United took on Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup on Tuesday night without Sven Botman.

The 24-year-old was not involved at Ewood Park, with Jamaal Lascelles taking his place in the starting lineup for the FA Cup tie.

Sven Botman‘s absence comes after his rotten performance away to Arsenal on Saturday night. Newcastle United were shocking at the Emirates Stadium, and Botman was one of the Magpies’ worst players during the 4-1 defeat.

Ahead of the game against Blackburn Rovers, Eddie Howe would not criticise the Dutchman for his display in North London.

But his performance did cast fresh doubt over his fitness, after Botman missed a large part of the current campaign due to a serious knee injury. He has played a lot of football since his comeback, but has been struggling for form in recent weeks.

The FA Cup clash felt like a good opportunity to take Botman out of the side, and that is exactly what happened.

Why Sven Botman did not play for Newcastle against Blackburn Rovers

Ahead of kickoff in Lancashire, it was reported why Eddie Howe did not include Sven Botman in his Newcastle squad to face Blackburn.

According to the Athletic’s Chris Waugh, people close to Botman state that he is simply being rested and that there is no fresh injury.

He wrote on X: “Eddie Howe will obviously be asked about Sven Botman’s absence tonight later. The word from those close to him is that Botman is fine & is merely being rested.”

Smart decision by Newcastle manager Eddie Howe

Taking Botman out of the squad completely was the correct decision by Howe. After the Arsenal game it was clear that he needed a rest, and that is exactly what he got.

Given the fact that he was simply rested, it feels certain that Botman will be available for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers at St James’ Park.

However, it is unclear whether he will go straight back into the starting XI. That may depend on how the manager feels about Lascelles’ performance at Ewood Park.

The most likely outcome is that Botman returns to the side at the weekend, when Newcastle will look to get their league campaign back on track up against a decent Wolves side that are now above the Magpies in the table.