Newcastle United defender Sven Botman continues to wait for his first senior Netherlands cap after missing both of his country's fixtures over the international break. The Magpies star was struck down with illness, along with four team-mates, last week after linking up with Ronald Koeman's side for the first time.
The Netherlands boss had insisted the ill quintet could still play a part in Monday's clash with Gibraltar but only Cody Gakpo, Matthijs de Ligt and Bart Verbruggen were eventually passed fit for the 3-0 win. Botman and Joey Veerman missed out entirely.
"I was shocked. I went down to the hotel lobby and I saw Joey Veerman sitting there, waiting for a taxi. Sven Botman had already left. Then you get to understand the whole situation – and you have to act quickly," Koeman said of the withdrawals over the weekend.
The race is now on for Botman to be ready for Sunday's clash between Newcastle and Manchester United. The Dutchman hasn't missed a game for the Magpies since the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth back in September.
Thankfully, Eddie Howe has options at his disposal on the off chance Botman struggles to shake off the bug that saw him miss the Netherlands double header.
Fabian Schar's recent concussion saw Jamaal Lascelles return to the fold for the defeat at Manchester City. The Newcastle skipper has proved more than capable of stepping in at short notice and performing this term after impressing against both the Premier League champions and at Anfield.
"I want to earn it. I want to be the best in training and be amazing when I play, and I want the manager to be able to say: 'He has to start.'" Lascelles told Chronicle Live earlier this month. "I'm not the type to go round knocking on doors and stuff. The manager is a smart manager, and whatever team he picks we know it is a squad game.We all fully back it. It is a collective thing."
A section of the St James' Park faithful have called for Matt Targett's return to Howe's first-team of late. The left-back, who has recently returned from injury, hardly put a foot wrong before being replaced by Dan Burn at full-back earlier this term.
Burn has excelled in the role, despite spending most of his career at centre-back, but at times has struggled to cope with some of the Premier League's trickier wingers. Also, despite a goal against Leicester in the Carabao Cup, Burn has struggled to offer consistent returns going forward when playing behind the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin and Joelinton.
Should Botman miss out this weekend, it is not against the realms of possibility that Targett returns with Burn returning to the heart of Howe's defence.
Jamal Lewis is also fighting for his Newcastle future and featured in both of Northern Ireland's international fixtures in recent days. “It’s been difficult going from playing week in, week out at my first club, Norwich, to not playing and then getting injured and having a tricky injury that I can’t really get on top of, which can play a very negative part in your mental wellbeing and everything," Lewis said over the weekend.
The out of favour left-back faces an uphill battle trying to regain a consistent role in this Newcastle setup but can offer depth at the back should Botman fail to overcome his sickness bug.
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