NEWCASTLE United have been dealt a hammer blow, with scans revealing Sven Botman suffered a serious knee injury in the FA Cup defeat at Manchester City which will sideline the defender for up to nine months.
Botman was forced off in the closing stages of the defeat at the Etihad and after further assessments, Newcastle have now confirmed the Dutchman suffered an ACL injury.
He will now have surgery next week and will miss the rest of the current campaign, the entirety of the summer and the early stages of next season. Botman might not play again until December.
It's a major blow for both Botman and Newcastle, who have suffered a string of injury setbacks over the course of the season.
Botman missed two-and-a-half months of action earlier this season because of a knee injury but at that stage it was decided he'd go through a lengthy rehab programme rather than have surgery.
He returned to action in December but has struggled to rediscover his form from last season. It's understood the new injury is on the same knee that he struggled with earlier this season.
Howe said last month: "Sven had a very serious knee injury. He's come back to fitness, I think he's improved with each game but I think he's still working his way back to his very best levels.
"With his knee injury, it's something we're monitoring and we hope he doesn't feel his knee and can adapt to Premier League football."
Ahead of next week's surgery, the club said: "Everyone at Newcastle United wishes Sven a full and speedy recovery."
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Botman's absence is another setback for Howe, who is determined to get his side back on track before the season is out.
Newcastle are 10th in the table with 10 games to play, with Howe insistent there's still plenty to play for despite the FA Cup exit at the weekend.
Any hopes of a second successive season in the Champions League have disappeared but Howe still wants to secure European football by finishing the Premier League season strongly. He'll now be forced to rejig a defence that has been leaky all season.
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