Newcastle’s injury issue is poised to worsen this weekend, as Eddie Howe will be without defender Sven Botman once more.
The Dutchman was injured following Newcastle’s 8-0 win against Sheffield United and has not been seen since.
Newcastle have only conceded once in the three games he has missed, but it would have been great to have him back for the trip to West Ham United on Sunday.
Botman’s absence is confirmed by Howe.
In his news conference today, Eddie Howe revealed that Botman will be absent for Sunday’s match, although he did not say whether the 23-year-old would be able to return after the international break.
“Sven Botman won’t be able to make it on Sunday,” he said.
He did, however, imply that Botman’s injury is not significant, adding that only Harvey Barnes is expected to be out for an extended period of time.
“The injury list doesn’t look great but apart from Harvey Barnes I don’t think there’s anything long-term there.”
When it became clear that club captain Jamaal Lascelles would be the one to replace Botman during his absence, rather than alternative choices like as moving Dan Burn to the middle, there was some suspicion.
However, Lascelles has played admirably since his arrival and appears to be re-energized as a starter following a rough season last year.
Lascelles was impressive in the win over PSG and has earned a spot in the starting lineup until Botman recovers.
Howe has previously hailed Botman as a “consistent” player, and losing someone that dependable is frustrating, but Newcastle has handled Lascelles’ replacement well.
Eddie Howe will be pleased with Lascelles’ outstanding form, given Newcastle were lacking in defensive depth. Having a man like Lascelles able to fit straight into the team and perform well speaks volumes about the quality of Newcastle’s squad currently.
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