Sven Botman, a Newcastle United defender, missed the FA Cup tie at Blackburn but was only rested by Eddie Howe.
Sven Botman has spent the week in training, honing his fitness rather than being thrust into the blood and thunder of the FA Cup at Blackburn.
Eddie Howe made the decision following Botman’s Arsenal nightmare, in which the exhausted-looking Dutchman scored an own goal and made other mistakes in a 4-1 loss at the Emirates Stadium. Botman did not appear like the guy that delighted Newcastle supporters last season, and Howe did not hesitate to rest him at Ewood Park.
Howe must now decide whether to put the 24-year-old sensation back in the starting lineup against Wolves this weekend. Jamaal Lascelles stepped in against Rovers, but he, too, did not have a good game, as Blackburn’s equaliser came as a result of a mistake by the club captain down the right side of the field.
When queried about Botman’s absence, Howe replied, “He was just resting.” We believed that Sven would benefit more from training than from being connected with Blackburn.”
That being said, Botman should be well enough to face Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Howe will have to decide whether he is mentally prepared to start the game at St James’ Park. When speaking before of the trip to Lancashire, Howe mentioned the aftermath of Botman’s knee injury earlier in the season.
According to Howe, Sven suffered a significant knee injury and has since returned to fitness. I believe he has improved with each game, but he is still working on returning to his peak performance.
“To play Premier League football, you must be in peak physical condition; you cannot play the game until you are. He’s ready to play; he’s done the work, but as I previously stated, it was a serious injury. Hopefully, within a few weeks, he’ll be back to his peak performance.”
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