Newcastle United fans are desperate to see Sven Botman back from injury.
The Magpies have been without the 24-year-old since March. His last Newcastle United appearance was the FA Cup quarter final defeat to Manchester City, in which he was forced off.
Seven months later and Sven Botman is still out of action. He suffered an ACL injury that day, and underwent surgery shortly after. This came after he had recovered from a separate ACL injury earlier in the season.
The 2023/24 campaign was a bit of a disaster for Botman, and now he has missed the opening stages of the new season.
In his absence, Dan Burn and Fabian Schar have rekindled their partnership, with the former doing very well as the left-sided centre-back. However, Toon fans are eager to see their Rolls Royce return to full fitness.
Eddie Howe provides an update on Sven Botman’s recovery from injury
Back in August, Eddie Howe said Botman would be available towards the end of 2024.
Now the Newcastle United manager has provided a fresh update on the defender’s recovery, as he previewed the Magpies’ Premier League clash with Brighton on Saturday.
During his pre-match press conference, Howe was asked about Botman’s fitness.
“He’s [Botman] hitting the right strength markers, he’s looking really good,” he said, as reported by the Chronicle.
“We probably won’t see him training until after the next international break. He is closing in but it’s a long road.
“The reality is we’re probably looking more towards Christmas time.”
Sven Botman return could help Newcastle United’s January transfer plans
The next international break is in the middle of November. It is after that when Eddie Howe thinks Botman could be fit enough to return to training.
Once he is back in training, the next target will be to play a competitive game. Howe thinks that could come around Christmas time, which would be a timely gift for everyone associated with Newcastle United.
It could also prove to be a boost for Paul Mitchell, as the sporting director weighs up his options ahead of the January transfer window.
Throughout the summer, Newcastle relentlessly pursued Marc Guehi. However, a deal with Crystal Palace could not be agreed for the 24-year-old centre-back.
Ahead of January, it has been reported that Newcastle could make a fresh move for Guehi. It has also been claimed that Crystal Palace are resigned to selling Guehi in 2025.
That could present the Magpies with an opportunity, although it is an opportunity that they might not seize if Botman is back playing once again.
That would then allow Newcastle to use their January transfer budget elsewhere, with the Magpies desperately in need of a right winger.
It has been reported that Newcastle’s January priority is to sign a winger, and that could be down to the fact that Botman will no longer be unavailable by then.
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