Major Sven Botman Newcastle United injury update after nine-month blow & training ground return

Botman has been named in Newcastle Under-21s starting line-up against Chelsea on Monday night.

The 24-year-old defender has been out since March with an ACL injury but returns to action for Newcastle Under-21s in their Premier League 2 match at Whitley Park. Botman has been training with the first-team for the past month with Monday’s second-string game being his first taste of match action away from the training ground since the FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Manchester City last season.

Botman joined Newcastle for £35million from Lille in 2022 and enjoyed an excellent first season on Tyneside as the club finished fourth in the Premier League with the joint-best defensive record in the division. But the 24-year-old’s 2023-24 campaign was blighted by injury as he suffered an initial ACL blow in September 2023 before suffering a second and requiring surgery in March 2024.

Botman was given a six to nine month recovery period following surgery which he is now in the latter stages of. But Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe has consistently urged caution.

“He's been training consistently now for around four weeks,” Howe said. “But that was the plan. We're taking medical advice and trying to follow the right protocols for the injury he's had and make sure we give him the best chance to stay fit.

“I think the plan is late December, very early January is the earliest he'll be available for the first team.”

Lewis Miley is also involved with the Under-21s once again with his last first-team appearance in the Premier League also coming back in March.

NUFC U21s XI: Harris; Shahar, McArthur, Botman, A. Murphy; Hernes, L. Miley, Munda; Turner-Cooke, Sanusi, Parkinson

Subs: Heffernan, Taylor, Palmer, Harrison, Donaldson