Newcastle is bracing for the worst as center-back Sven Botman is scheduled to undergo surgery for his injured knee.
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BOTMAN OUT FOR 6-9 MONTHS DUE TO ACL INJURY
Botman will be sidelined for six to nine months.
He tore an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on his knee.
The 24-year-old defender was forced to be taken off in the 83rd minute in Newcastle’s 2-0 FA Cup quarterfinal defeat to Manchester City on March 16.
“Following further assessment, a scan has confirmed that he (Botman) sustained an injury to his ACL during Saturday’s match and he is expected to return to action within six to nine months,” a Newcastle statement said.
The injury also rules Botman out from playing for the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 this summer.
NEWCASTLE’S NUMBERS SUFFER WHEN BOTMAN IS OUT
The Magpies need to adjust with Botman out after the club’s suffered in the matches he sat out before.
Newcastle’s winning percentage went down 38.5% with the Dutch defender out, compared to 49.1% when he’s playing.
The Magpies averaged only 1.4 points per match in 13 matches with Botman unavailable.
That number is a 0.4 drop on average when he played.
Newcastle coach Eddie Howe may have to rely on captain Jamaal Lascelles to replace Botman, with Dan Burn shifting to left center-back.
