Newcastle United injury U-turn as 'outstanding' star ruled out for three games
Newcastle United injuries: Sven Botman missed Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester City due to a back issue.
Sven Botman remained sidelined for Newcastle United over the weekend after picking up a back injury.
The 26-year-old previously missed nine matches for Newcastle between November and January due to a back problem. Although initially dismissed as a minor issue, the defender missed six weeks of action.
And Newcastle will be hoping history won’t repeat itself with Botman’s latest back injury. The defender was said to be rested for the FA Cup trip to Aston Villa last week but has now missed the Qarabag and Manchester City matches due to the problem.
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Sven Botman injury blow
Ahead of the trip to the Etihad Stadium, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe teased that Botman could be back involved.
“Hopefully, good news or better news on Sven Botman,” Howe said in his pre-match press conference. “He could be in and around this game.”
But The Magpies boss was forced to make a U-turn with Botman still sidelined for the match and he remains a doubt for the Champions League second leg against Qarabag on Tuesday.
“Yeah, we thought he was going to be available,” Howe said. “He just didn't feel 100% right, so we didn't want to take any chances with him.
“We hope he'll be available on Tuesday, but that's not 100% clear at the moment.”
Eddie Howe praises Sven Botman following 2030 deal
Although Botman’s injury issues at Newcastle are well-documented, the club agreed a new deal with the defender that runs until 2030.
After Botman’s new contract was announced last month, Howe felt the player was getting back to his best levels for Newcastle.
“I think for any player, if you have your future settled and you're not worrying about contract length or anything to do with off the pitch and you know you're here, then you've got to be all in,” Howe said, prior to Botman’s latest injury setback.
“Sven's always been someone that has been fully committed. I've never seen a day when he's been distracted. But just when you have certainty over your future, I think it can certainly give you a feeling of contentment and then you focus on what's really important, which is your performance and everything that goes into that.
“I think Sven's been really good in recent weeks. I think we have seen a return to his very best levels. He's such an important figure for us. His use of the ball is so good.
“His defensive mentality against Tottenham again was outstanding. He defended his goal with Malick [Thiaw] and Dan [Burn] and Kieran [Trippier] superbly.”
But Botman hasn’t been seen in action since Howe said those comments, as he pushes to return from his latest injury issue.