Newcastle United centre-back sensation Sven Botman has teased supporters about his return to action on Instagram with a picture of himself with the clock emoji.
The Magpies have had their fair share of injury issues over the last 12 months, and their shortcomings in terms of the fitness of first-team stars have ultimately hindered their progress.
Newcastle earned Champions League status when they finished fourth in the 2022/23 season, however, a small squad and PSR issues made it difficult for Eddie Howe to add the quality and depth needed to compete comfortably across all competitions last season.
This led to several players suffering fatigue and muscle injuries during congested periods of the campaign, as well as some more crucial presences being asked to play while carrying knocks or being rushed back too soon.
Netherlands international Sven Botman was one of those players who failed to have his injury correctly dealt with immediately, which, in hindsight, could’ve shortened his current stint on the sidelines by months.
He strained his ligaments during the match against Brentford and, remarkably, played two more games before being sidelined for three months.
Despite initially avoiding surgery, Botman’s form never fully recovered, and he eventually underwent the procedure in March, which has led to his absence ever since.
Now the Dutchman has taken to Instagram to tease the St James’ Park faithful with his return, suggesting it will be soon on his story where he posted a picture of himself in a throwback from the start of a game accompanied by a clock emoji.
When is Sven Botman expected to return?
According to Premier League Injuries, Botman is expected to, at the very least, be ruled out until the turn of the year, but his latest Instagram post could suggest that he will be back in training imminently.
Indeed, Howe will be reluctant to rush the defender – once dubbed “sensational” by scout Antonio Mango – back to action before he is completely ready and with performances improving every week so far there will be no pressure for an imminent return.
Fabian Schar and Dan Burn have become the trusted partnership at St James’ Park this season despite a huge effort to sign a new centre-back in the summer.
Crystal Palace ace Marc Guehi was the object of Howe’s desires for months, but ultimately after a lot of back and forth with the South London club, no agreement was reached to sign the England international.
It is unclear as to whether Newcastle will return to the transfer market to add another centre-back to their squad when the window opens in January and whether they will put further effort into trying to get a deal done for Guehi, but that will likely depend on the state of the squad and urgency to bolster the position ahead of Botman’s return.
With that being said, all signs are promising that Botman is on a good path to recovery and Newcastle fans could even see him linking up with the first team for training in the coming weeks and months ahead.
