Sven Botman has issued a brief update on his injury recovery as Newcastle United prepare to return to Premier League action against Crystal Palace.
Botman is hoping to be back in contention after missing the triumphs over Manchester City, Burnley, and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as the draw at West Ham United before the international break, when Newcastle meet Palace at St James’ Park on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
The 23-year-old centre-back has been a crucial player for Newcastle since joining from Lille for £35 million last summer, and he had only missed two games prior to this knee injury. Since his arrival, head coach Eddie Howe has praised the defender’s ‘outstanding’ performances.
Botman last played for Newcastle over a month ago, when he scored his first goal for the club in an 8-0 triumph over Sheffield United.
His recovery from a knee injury is said to be going well, with the defender posting a short but encouraging message on Instagram. The Dutch defender captioned a photo of himself warming up before Newcastle’s Champions League match against AC Milan last month, “Coming back stronger than ever.”
Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles has been starting at center-back with Fabian Schar in Botman’s absence. Lascelles was instrumental in keeping clean sheets against Manchester City and Burnley, as well as in the 4-1 victory over PSG.
Botman is anticipated to return to the left center-back position if he is declared fit for Saturday’s game, with Lascelles sliding to the bench and Schar swapping back to the right side.
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