It is looking more and more certain that Newcastle United will be without Sven Botman for this weekend’s trip to Brighton And Hove Albion.
The centre-back was forced off with an ankle injury against Liverpool on Sunday, leading to concern that the Magpies would need to dip into the transfer market and sign a replacement.
That looks like it won’t be the case, with reports stating that Botman has at least avoided suffering a serious injury. However, it has been claimed that he will at least miss a couple of weeks of action.
There is nothing official from the club at this moment in time, but their latest batch of training photos is certainly a hint that the ‘outstanding‘ 23-year-old won’t be involved this weekend.
No Sven Botman in Newcastle training
Eddie Howe’s side are set to face Brighton And Hove Albion on Saturday night at the Amex Stadium, and the club have uploaded 26 photos from training this week.
The most notable absentee is Botman, who cannot be seen in any of the pictures.
That is a strong indicator that he really is injured and is going to be unavailable this weekend. We will no doubt get official confirmation when Howe speaks to the press on Friday morning.
Botman limping but no protective boot or crutches as he leaves SJP #NUFC
— Jacob Whitehead (@jwhitey98) August 27, 2023
The £35million man’s absence will likely create an opening for Matt Targett, who will come in at left-back and allow Dan Burn to play in the middle of defence. That is what happened on Sunday when Botman was forced off in the latter stages against Liverpool at St James’ Park.
Newcastle went on to lose that game, and will be desperate for a response this week – especially as it is the final game before the first international break of the season.
Brighton are tough opponents, and they will be even tougher without Botman.