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Sven Botman will be part of the Newcastle United squad that faces Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 12:30pm).
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The Magpies have been without the Dutchman for the past nine months because of an ACL injury. Eddie Howe will decide between Botman and summer signing Lloyd Kelly as to who replaces the suspended Fabian Schar at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“I’ve always said with Sven, he’ll be sort of in and around Christmas games,” said Howe. “He’s worked incredibly hard to get himself in a good condition. He’s had, I think, three games and a lot of internal training as well.
“He’s certainly in and around my thoughts. I’ll have to make a decision on who I think best fits that position. But yeah, great to have Sven in and around available again.”
In the past month, Botman has resumed full training and built up his match fitness and sharpness by featuring in three under-21s matches.
When asked if it would be “a lot” for Botman to play against Spurs and then Arsenal on Tuesday night because of his lengthy spell on the sidelines, Howe replied: “No, because I think you go through a process with the type of injury Sven’s had, he’s done an incredible amount of work - it’s not like he’s not had that training time with us.
“We’ve taken longer than maybe normally we would have done through respect for the injury, he had to try and make sure he had the best chance of staying fit and when he comes back he’s able to hit the ground running, which is absolutely.
“So I’ve got a decision to make in terms of the team selection but if Sven is in the squad it’s because he is fit and available.”
Botman was restricted to 22 appearances last season having twice suffered with a knee injury.
The 24-year-old initially suffered a partial ACL tear in September last year but opted for a non-surgical rehabilitation plan. He resumed playing in December but looked way off his best, eventually resulting in surgery three months later.
Having been without Botman for so long and the chances of making a January signing low, Howe agreed the defender will be ‘like a new signing’.
“It is a cliché but it's a good one,” Howe said. “It was the same with Sandro when he came back from his ban, although he'd been training with us and had been with us for a season, he was like a new signing. It gave the lads a big lift to have Sandy back available for selection and Sven will be exactly the same.
“He's been a massive player for us and a player the lads all like and like to play with, they have got total trust in him. So when he comes back into the group, it gives everyone a great feeling so [a new signing] is the good way of looking at it.”