‘He wanted to’… Eddie Howe confirms £35m Newcastle star went against advice from the club

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Newcastle United’s injury record this season has been appalling.

Eddie Howe has had to rely on so few players this season during a period in which Newcastle have had to play more games than ever before in recent memory.

Clearly, that does not excuse players of poor performances but it does perhaps offer some context as to why it has been such a struggle at times.

Take Sven Botman, for example.

The defender confirmed he played on having suffered a serious knee injury without knowing, before avoiding having surgery. Upon his return, the £35m star looked a far cry from the imposing defender who arrived at St James’ Park in the summer of 2022.

To have then suffered a second serious knee injury made the situation even more galling. What really was the point in not having surgery straight away?

Botman now faces a long road to recovery and, naturally, the fact he didn’t go under the knife after the initial blow has been questioned.

Now, however, Howe has offered some more insight.

Sven Botman did not have knee surgery despite Newcastle’s medical team suggesting he should

Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s clash with West Ham, Howe said (via The Chronicle): “We sought specialist opinion on that injury [initial knee injury] and there were conflicting reports coming back on what he should do next. Ultimately, our medical team advised him to have surgery.

“He wanted to carry on playing and we’re always trying to guide the players, but ultimately it’s their bodies and they have to make the final decision. Unfortunately, he succumbed to the injury eventually.”

Sven Botman took a major risk with his career

Hindsight is of course a wonderful thing. With Champions League football on offer at the time and Euro 2024 on the horizon, it’s understandable to want to be available for those competitions.

Still, Botman seemingly took a huge risk with his career. Rather than going down the traditional route, he opted to try and work around the issue and it clearly has not worked.

The hope, of course, is that he will be able to get back up to speed when he does eventually return.

If he doesn’t, however, then it seems Botman would have been the architect of his own downfall.