Newcastle United remain without so many key players.
The fact Eddie Howe is able to take this severely depleted Newcastle team to the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and get a result only days after beating Chelsea is frankly amazing.
Indeed, the team remain competitive, a brilliant thing to see. Having also conquered Manchester City and Arsenal at St James’ Park while having to make changes, it’s obvious Howe is getting a lot out of his back-up players.
Still, he could certainly do with some of his bigger names returning. Though internal solutions are working for now, support will soon be needed ahead of the packed festive fixture schedule.
So then, it’s promising to hear the latest on Sven Botman.
Newcastle injuries: Sven Botman latest
Speaking ahead of Saturday night’s game with Manchester United on Tyneside, Howe provided the latest on the Dutchman.
A knee injury has ruled him out of action since the win over Sheffield United and there were fears he would be forced to go under the knife.
However, Howe sounded reasonably positive when addressing the latest.
“He’s not training with us at the moment,” he said (via The Chronicle).
“He’s building up slowly so we don’t hit the knee too much. He’s reacted well to the work he’s doing. We hope that continues.”
Sven Botman: Positive injury news for Newcastle
That is fantastic to hear.
While Jamaal Lascelles has more than stepped up in the 23-year-old’s absence, few would doubt Newcastle are a stronger team with Botman in it.
Hailed as “outstanding” by pundit Paul Merson for his stunning first season as a Premier League player, he and Fabian Schar formed the joint-tightest central defensive partnership last year.
Though the club clearly aren’t rushing the recovery process, it’s brilliant to hear some reasonably positive movement in regards to his fitness.
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