'Mistakes made' - Newcastle United Sven Botman hope after fresh injury set-back revealed

Eddie Howe has provided some further insight into Newcastle United's injury situation following the return of Sven Botman.

Botman was back on the bench for Newcastle and came on for the closing stages of the 3-0 win over Fulham at St James' Park on Saturday afternoon. It was the Dutch defender's first outing since the 8-0 win at Sheffield United in September.

The 23-year-old picked up a knee injury that was expected to rule him out for weeks rather than months. But as the club struggled to get to the bottom of the injury and surgery was considered, his spell on the sidelines was extended.

Now Howe is hopeful Botman can stay fit after a 'difficult' period out.

“He's a very, very popular member of the dressing room, popular in terms of personality, but also as a player," Howe said. "The lads love him on the pitch.

 “He's had a really difficult injury, it's not been clear-cut for him. We're really hopeful he can stay fit now, He's back, he's a key part of our plans."

Botman was one of several longer-term injuries picked up by Newcastle this season, who have often had 10 or more players ruled out of recent matches. And Howe admitted the injuries have had a knock-on impact through his squad.

“I don't think it takes much of an internal investigation," Howe said. "The problem we've had is because we've had injuries to start with. The early ones we picked up, it meant our squad has just not managed the games.

 “It's been impossible to, we've had to pick the same players continually and eventually those players with the load that they're playing under will break, so I think we've just been a victim of circumstance."

Newcastle have recently been dealt a fresh set-back regarding Harvey Barnes, who was understood to be close to returning to action before feeling his foot injury once again. The club decided against surgery following a specialist's assessment but could now still require surgery three months on.

And Howe was open in admitting 'mistakes' had been made regarding certain players.

“Don't get me wrong, there have been mistakes made and there will always be mistakes made medically because it's that kind of profession," he added. You're not going to get every assessment right. A lot of the time, you're in the hands of the specialist.

“But the weight of games we've had – and it's still unrelenting for us – we just haven't recovered properly."