Eddie Howe confirms when Newcastle now expect Sven Botman to be available after injury

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Newcastle United are not far away from welcoming Sven Botman back to first-team action.

The centre-back has been absent since March after undergoing surgery for an ACL injury, but now Sven Botman is closing in on a return.

Botman is back in full training, and was pictured alongside his Newcastle United teammates as they prepare for Saturday’s game against Leicester City.

But the 24-year-old defender will not be involved at St James’ Park. He is still working on his recovery, with Botman set to play for Newcastle’s Under-21s on Monday night.

That will be his first proper game back after injury, and now Eddie Howe has set out a fresh timeframe for when he could play for the Newcastle United first-team.

Eddie Howe says when Sven Botman will return for Newcastle

Ahead of Newcastle’s game against Leicester, Howe has spoken to the media.

The Newcastle United manager has provided an update on the earliest that Botman will be available after his serious knee injury.

“He’s been training consistently now for around four weeks but that was the plan,” he said.

“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.”

How many more games Sven Botman could miss through injury

Howe has stated that Botman will be available to play for the first-team in late December or early January at the earliest.

With that in mind, it looks like the Dutchman will definitely miss the Magpies’ next three games.

After that run, Newcastle face Aston Villa on December 26th then Manchester United on December 30th. They feel like the earliest opportunities for Botman to play, but even the Villa game might come too soon.

In truth, I think the FA Cup third round tie at home to Bromley on January 12th could be when we finally see Botman back in the Newcastle starting XI.

Hopefully he is able to prove his fitness by then, especially as Newcastle are going to loan Alex Murphy out in January.

Botman’s looming availability will open the door for Murphy temporarily depart, which is what his career needs at this moment in time.