Newcastle United star set for surgery - Eddie Howe reveals injury timeline for £32m man
Eddie Howe has revealed Sven Botman will be ruled out for eight weeks with a knee injury - before the season finale on May 25.
NewcastleWorld reported in midweek that the Magpies were sweating on the Dutchman’s fitness ahead of the Carabao Cup. Botman has not featured for Newcastle since the 2-0 second-leg win over Arsenal last month.
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Toon fans were understandably nervous given Botman’s history - he missed the bulk of 2024 as he recovered from ACL surgery. The 25-year-old was one of Newcastle’s blue-chip signings following the Saudi-backed takeover and he was vital in Champions League qualification two years ago.
However, just five appearances before breaking down again raised concerns about his long-term future. The Daily Mail later reported Botman would undergo surgery and is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Newcastle’s trip to West Ham United, Howe confirmed the bad news - with Botman set for eight weeks on the sidelines. That would rule the centre-back out until May 1, with games against Brighton, Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton still to play.
“With Sven, we’ve been trying to get him back to full fitness,” Howe said. “He was very close for the Brighton game. The day before, one of his last actions in training, he felt a problem in his knee. That meant a bit of resetting, we still hoped he would come back.
“But this week, again, he’s felt the same discomfort. It now looks like he will need an operation. He needs a small operation to clear out some fluid then he’ll be fine again. It has come from a knock in one of his first games back.”