Newcastle United have had to start this season without one of their most promising stars being available for selection.
Indeed, Sven Botman missed the majority of last season with knee issues before ultimately picking up an ACL injury which required surgery which has since kept him out of contention.
After the surgery was confirmed it was said that he'd not be back available until January and despite updates from the player himself suggesting that he's getting near a return, it seems the club are making sure that his return is not rushed.
If you were to look only at Botman's Instagram over the recent months you'd probably be forgiven for wondering why he's not featured in any games lately.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference this morning, Eddie Howe offered up an update on the £35 million signing's fitness (via The Chronicle).
"I think it is a long way off at the moment. But certainly if and when Sven returns at his best level he will be a brilliant addition to the squad.
"Then it will be up to me to find the right balance in the team. It is not something at the minute that is in my conscience thinking, my conscience thinking is very much the next few games and step by step.
"Sven was a massive player for us and I don't think you can underestimate how much we've missed his certain qualities that he brought to us. His technical ability in our build-up, he had a beautiful switch of play that brought Kieran into play in our Champions League qualification season.
"We had a great dynamic on that side of the pitch, a lot of the time through Sven's distribution so I think we have really missed it. He is a great lad as well, he is really popular in the dressing room as well so he has got a lot of key attributes we have missed.
"It has to be right for Sven and he has to build up in the right way and we have to look after him. It is not an easy injury or a simply injury to recover from.
"He is now in the final stages and we have to manage him well. We certainly don't want to make a mistake in the last few weeks."
It sounds like we may have to wait a while longer to see the big Dutchman back in action, and even longer before he's back to his best, but that's to be expected.
We're sure he'll be gradually reintroduced to the starting lineup as he builds up his fitness, but once he's fit, surely there's no question regarding his place in the starting XI.
We all know that Botman has the potential to be world-class, and with all due respect to Dan Burn, who has filled in brilliantly in Botman's absence, he's not exactly world-class, is he? Sorry, Dan. That hurt to write.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
14 | 18 | 35 |
2 |
Chelsea
|
15 | 17 | 31 |
3 |
Arsenal
|
15 | 14 | 29 |
4 |
Manchester City
|
15 | 6 | 27 |
5 |
Nottingham Forest
|
15 | 1 | 25 |
6 |
Aston Villa
|
15 | 0 | 25 |
7 |
Brighton
|
15 | 3 | 24 |
8 |
Bournemouth
|
15 | 3 | 24 |
9 |
Brentford
|
15 | 3 | 23 |
10 |
Fulham
|
15 | 2 | 23 |
11 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
15 | 12 | 20 |
12 |
Newcastle United
|
15 | -2 | 20 |
13 |
Manchester United
|
15 | 1 | 19 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
15 | -8 | 18 |
15 |
Everton
|
14 | -7 | 14 |
16 |
Leicester
|
15 | -9 | 14 |
17 |
Crystal Palace
|
15 | -6 | 13 |
18 |
Ipswich
|
15 | -13 | 9 |
19 |
Wolves
|
15 | -15 | 9 |
20 |
Southampton
|
15 | -20 | 5 |