Newcastle United defender ruled out for another month - 'I wouldn’t say setbacks'

Less than two weeks after Sven Botman underwent ACL surgery, Lascelles sustained the same injury in the opening stages of the Magpies’ 4-3 comeback victory over West Ham United on March 30.

Nine months on, Botman has resumed full training and featured a couple of times for the under-21s ahead of an imminent return to the senior matchday squad. Lascelles, however, remains “a bit behind” the Dutchman.

According to Howe, Lascelles’ recovery hasn’t been straight as forward as Botman’s.

“Yeah, he’s very focused. We’ve already said he’s a bit behind Sven,” said Howe. “Sven had no complications at all in his rehab.

“Long-term knee injuries are always very difficult and you have your ups and downs. Sven was pretty standard, Jamaal has had a couple, I wouldn’t say setbacks but a couple of moments where his knee has not felt as strong so it’ll just take a little bit longer than Sven did but he’s on track and doing well.

“I’ve got to say, his dedication, sometimes he’s been here to 5pm-6pm at night, and that’s on a regular basis. That’s the dedication he is giving to his comeback and I’m sure he’ll reap the rewards for that.”

Lascelles will likely follow a similar recovery plan to Botman by gaining minutes with the under-21s before being considered for a first-team return around February time. The 31-year-old, however, faces plenty of competition with Botman, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, Lloyd Kelly and Emil Krafth among the other centre-back options.

As it stands, Lascelles is out of contract in the summer. He has made 251 appearances since arriving from Nottingham Forest 10 years ago.