Sven Botman update as Newcastle United defender ruled out of Arsenal Carabao Cup clash
Sven Botman has suggested he is fit to face Arsenal as Eddie Howe played down fears the defender picked up an injury in stoppage time.
The Dutchman made his first appearance in 10 months after being named in the team that beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.
Botman endured a shaky start to the match, allowing Dominic Solanke to peel away from him to head home Pedro Porto’s cross. But like his teammates, the defender grew into game as goals from Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak completed a comeback to secure a sixth successive victory.
The 24-year-old faced a lot of Spurs pressure in the second-half but defended well alongside centre-back partner Dan Burn. He was brought off in the latter stages but that was because of cramp, rather than an injury.
“I don’t think it was anything more than cramp for Sven,” said Howe. “Which was expected given the amount of time he’s been out.
“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.”
With Fabian Schar unavailable because of suspension, Howe was selected Botman ahead of summer signing Lloyd Kelly.
“The thinking behind that is he has done the work and I wouldn’t play him unless I thought he was physically ready,” Howe added, “He’s been very dedicated to his recovery, we’ve seen him put an extraordinary amount of work before he started training with us and he’s been training with us now for six weeks I think.
“He’s had three games and looked good in those games, of course he won’t be at his optimum level but that’ll come in the following months. But I thought he was physically and mentally ready to play.
“He was chomping at the bit to be involved again. It was a difficult start for him and the team when Tottenham scored but a great response. I thought he did very well today.”
Schar is also banned for Carabao Cup semi-final first leg clash away to Arsenal on Tuesday. When addressing supporters in a short clip on social media, Botman seemingly confirmed he was OK for the visit to the Emirates by saying “See you on Tuesday, enjoy today.”