Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has provided an update on the fitness of Sven Botman, revealing that the defender hopes to resume light training soon but not be fit for selection until January.
The Dutchman has been out since March, when he was given an estimated recovery period of six-nine-months after undergoing surgery on an ACL injury to his knee.
There were suggestions that the 24-year-old could make a return in December, but Howe played down those hopes during his press conference ahead of the Magpies’ trip Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
“We hope Sven can begin light training in the next few weeks. If we see him before the end of the year that would be a bonus. We are probably looking at more like January,” he said.
It can be considered a minor setback as Howe had previously stated that he expected Botman to be back in December.
He had said in October: “We won’t see him before the next international break [in November], we’re looking beyond that. But he’s hitting the right strength markers and looking really good.
“We haven’t seen him in training yet, and we probably won’t see him until after the next international break. But he is closing in. It is a long road. I know everyone wants news – we want him back and he wants to be back. But it’s got to be at the right time. The reality is that we’re probably looking more towards Christmas time.”
Defender Jamaal Lascelles has also been out with an ACL injury, leaving Newcastle sparse at the back, and it’s thought that the defender won’t be back until January as well.
Given the lack of fit options at centre-back, interest in Marc Guehi over the summer and our reluctance to rush Botman or Lascelles back, it’ll be interesting to see if the club pursue the signing of another central defender when the January window opens.
