Newcastle United have had some insanely bad luck regarding injuries this season, but mistakes have also been made.
It has proven to be a very difficult campaign for Newcastle United, with fixture congestion and freak injuries stopping Eddie Howe‘s side from playing to its full potential. There has also been the Sandro Tonali situation, which has proven to be a major issue.
But injuries have been the main cause for Newcastle’s struggles this season, and the club suffered two major blows last month. The most recent casualty was Jamaal Lascelles, with the captain now out for up to nine months with an ACL injury.
And that blow came not long after Sven Botman suffered the same injury.
Newcastle lost Sven Botman to an ACL injury last month
The £35million defender has been ruled out for between six to nine months, after suffering an ACL injury during the FA Cup defeat to Manchester City.
It means that Botman’s season is over, having already missed a large chunk of the campaign with another knee injury. That came in the 8-0 win over Sheffield United, but it did not result in the Dutchman undergoing surgery.
Instead, he just rested and rehabbed it, with the idea being that it would mean he was not out for as long. That initially proved to be the case, only for him to break down again last month.
And now a new report from the Athletic states that Botman actually ignored a piece of advice he was given following his first knee injury.
What one specialist suggested to Sven Botman last year
According to the Athletic, one specialist who Botman spoke to advised the 24-year-old to undergo surgery last year. They state that it would have rectified the problem that he had, but it would have ruled him out for the majority of the season.
Ultimately, Botman ignored that advice. Another specialist suggested that he should rest rather than have surgery, which is what he ended up doing. It was his decision, with the club backing him.
Botman decision now looks like a costly mistake
After returning to action in December, Botman suffered another ACL injury in March. This time he has undergone surgery, and could be absent for the rest of 2024.
It is a major blow for the Magpies, and suggests that a big mistake was made last year when he suffered his first knee injury. Botman took the risk of resting it rather than having surgery, and it looks like it has proven to be the incorrect decision.
It has cost him months of his career, while it could also hit Newcastle in the pocket. They are now desperate to sign a centre-back, especially with Lascelles also ruled out for the foreseeable future.
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