Newcastle United star’s nine-month injury battle - Bruno Guimaraes issues emotional statement
Bruno Guimaraes has dedicated Newcastle United’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur to Sven Botman.
Coming off a nine-month ACL setback, the Dutchman was thrown into the deep end in the capital due to Fabian Schar’s suspension. Eddie Howe tasked Botman with playing as a right-sided centre-back - an unfamiliar role on his return.
A shaky start saw the 24-year-old lose Dominic Solanke in the area as Spurs went 1-0 up. However, Botman recovered and put in a solid defensive display despite the lengthy spell on the sidelines.
He will likely go again on Tuesday when the Magpies make another trip to North London against Arsenal. Speaking after the Tottenham win, Toon captain Guimaraes hailed Botman for starring on his long-awaited comeback.
“A lot, a lot,” he said when asked about the importance of Botman’s return. “I love Sven, he is a good guy. I remember I have seen him suffer for a long time. Sometimes we were having lunch in the training ground and Sven was making box-to-box.
“We looked at him and thought ‘Sven deserves a win today’ in his first game. So yeah, Sven, this win is for you, you played very well. I am pleased for him, he’s a lovely guy and a big player.”
Fans were worried in the dying embers as Botman hobbled off while holding his leg. But Howe reassured supporters that the defender was suffering with cramp and the situation was not serious.
“I don’t think it was anything more than cramp for Sven, which was expected given the amount of time he’s been out,” he said. “It was a great effort from him to last that long. We were unsure how long he would be able to go for, with the speed of the Premier League. But thankfully he got through the majority of the game.”