Newcastle United defender Sven Botman is set for a knee operation and will miss the Carabao Cup Final clash with Liverpool later this month, according to reports.
The Dutch defender has not featured for the Magpies since the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg win over Arsenal, having not long returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Eddie Howe had hoped that Botman would be back in contention for the defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup at the weekend, but chose not to risk the defender.
Howe said: “Sven was close, did light training [on Saturday], but didn't feel 100% confident in his body, so we decided not to risk him [v Brighton].
“We still hope that he can play a part either in our next game or the game after. Desperate to get him back fit, such a big player, but again we couldn't take a risk with him if he wasn't 100% fit.”
Craig Hope, of the Daily Mail, claims Botman saw a specialist yesterday and has been advised to have surgery on his knee. It's still unclear the extent of his injury, but he will miss the Wembley showpiece final.
Despite missing the last five games, Howe was hopeful the Dutch defender would feature on March 16th, but it means he's now without three key players for the final, with Lewis Hall out for the rest of the season after picking up an ankle injury at Anfield last month, while Anthony Gordon is suspended.
Botman has not long returned from a 10-month stint on the sidelines, recovering from an ACL injury. The report claims this latest setback is in fact his opposite knee and there's hope the injury is not serious.
