Eddie Howe makes Newcastle United fitness claim after star ruled out for 17 games with 'serious' injury

Newcastle United defender Sven Botman still needs time to get 'back to his best' according to head coach Eddie Howe.

Botman's eight starts since returning from a serious knee injury has seen Newcastle concede 23 goals, the highest in the Premier League. And Saturday's 4-1 defeat at Arsenal saw the Dutch defender subject to criticism as he scored an own goal and gifted possession to Arsenal in the build-up to another.

Newcastle legend Alan Shearer highlighted the centre-back during his Premier League Productions analysis, stating: "Botman had his worst game in a Newcastle shirt, he gave the ball away and they couldn’t recover."

The 24-year-old was a key part in the Premier League's joint-best defence last season but standards have slipped this campaign. Botman was hit with a serious knee injury in September which ultimately ruled him out of 17 matches despite him initially playing on for two games before the issue was properly diagnosed.

Botman has started the last 10 games for Newcastle in all competitions with the club's only two clean sheets in that time coming in the 3-0 and 2-0 FA Cup wins at Sunderland and Fulham respectively. When asked about Botman's form after three months out of the team, Howe replied: "Sven has a serious knee injury and has returned to fitness and improved with each game.

"But he is still working back to his best levels. We are monitoring his knee and hope it can adapt to Premier League football. It was a significant injury.

"To play Premier League football you have to be at peak condition. He is fit to play. We are hopeful in a few weeks he will be back to his best."

Botman claimed he feels as though he is getting back to his best in a recent interview and Howe was keen to take the focus off the defender when asked if he was still feeling the impact of his injury.

"I don’t think he is feeling his knee," Howe added. "You can’t play if you are not feeling good. Maybe it is more time to get back to his best.

"There should be no focus on Sven, it is about the team We were not at our best against Arsenal, myself included."