Newcastle United’s season has now gone from bad to worse, with Sven Botman out for the season due to a knee injury.
The club confirmed the news on Wednesday evening, with Sven Botman suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury during Saturday night’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester City. He is now going to be out of action for between six and nine months.
That means that his season is over, and that he will also miss some of next season too. It is a disastrous blow for Eddie Howe, who admitted after the defeat to Man City that the 24-year-old had suffered a knock.
Turns out it was much more than a knock, and it comes just a few months after Botman had recovered from another ACL injury. The Dutchman rehabbed a similar injury earlier this season, rather than undergoing surgery.
That decision now looks like a mistake, with Botman now needing to go under the knife. It is not a good look for the club, but an update from Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie hints that it was actually Botman who made the decision not to have surgery late last year.
What Keith Downie has said about Sven Botman and his knee injury
Following Newcastle United’s announcement regarding Botman’s injury, Sky Sports’ Keith Downie took to X to share what he knows about the situation.
He wrote: “Understand the club were happy for him to have surgery back in Oct/Nov, but Botman himself decided to rest instead as he wanted to get back and help the team ASAP. He, and the club, had taken advice from multiple specialists and there wasn’t a definitive answer as to what the best course of action was.”
Botman decision has proven to be a mistake
It was very noble of Botman wanting to do all he can to help the team as soon as possible, and it did initially look like the right decision. There was no immediate issue – just a sense that he needed a bit of time to get back to his best.
However, Botman has not looked quite right since his recovery. Alan Shearer said as much on Saturday after the FA Cup defeat to Man City.
Given his recent performances, fans have feared that something was up, and now their concerns have been proven right.
When Botman could return for Newcastle United
The Magpies are now going to be without their best centre-back for a long time. The best case scenario is that he is out for six months, which would see him return in September/October. Worst case scenario is nine months, which would rule him out until late December/early January 2025.
We might not see Botman in a black and white shirt until next year, which will certainly increase the club’s desire to sign a new centre-back this summer. One was already on the agenda, but it may suddenly be Newcastle’s priority.
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