Newcastle star now expected to be injured for a few weeks

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Newcastle United have been handed a blow as Sven Botman is now expected to be sidelined for the next few weeks.

The 23-year-old limped off in Newcastle’s defeat to Liverpool on Sunday after picking up an ankle injury, and there were fears that he could be absent for an extended period.

However, whilst there may be some relief that he did not pick up a long-term injury, Botman will miss a few games for Eddie Howe’s side, as he begins his recovery.

Luke Edwards has reported in The Telegraph that he will be out for a few weeks, and based on this, he may not be fully fit and available for around a month.

“Botman was taken off with an ankle injury against Liverpool which, although not serious, will almost certainly rule him out for a couple of weeks at least,” the report stated.

What games could Botman miss?

Newcastle may be relieved at the timing of the injury, given that there is an international break coming up, but Botman will now miss this weekend’s tough trip to face Brighton.

The international break will give him some time to recover, but September has a heavy schedule, with three Premier League games against Brentford, Sheffield United and Burnley, as well as Carabao Cup and Champions League fixtures which are yet to be announced.

If Botman can return before the end of September, he may be able to face Burnley, but Howe should not rush him back to action and risk aggravating the injury.

The logical step to take would be moving Dan Burn to Botman’s place at left centre-back, and starting summer signing Lewis Hall at left-back in his absence. Whilst Newcastle do not have the strongest depth in the position, they have enough quality to cover for Botman in the short term.

There has been talk of Newcastle entering the market for a replacement if Botman’s injury was a serious one, but this seems unlikely given the relatively short timescale of it.