Sven Botman

Botman (knee) played 60 minutes during Monday's youth clash.

Botman (knee) is expected to return by late December or early January, according to coach Eddie Howe in a recent press conference. "He's been training consistently for about four weeks now, which was the plan," Howe stated. "We are following medical advice and adhering to the proper protocols for the injury he's had to ensure we give him the best chance to stay fit," he added.

Botman (knee) is a few weeks away from a return to match action, according to manager Eddie Howe."He is doing well. The initial moments in training were passive and making sure he didn't do too many drills but now he is fully training, playing a couple of 11v11s. He is still a a few weeks off from playing competitively but he looks and feels good. It's all about rhythm for Sven now and getting those game dynamics and the pitch geography back, things he would normally do on auto-pilot. He needs to rediscover how to do it but it's been a big boost to have him training. He is a big guy, a big presence and we have missed him."

Botman (knee) returned to team training Friday, he explained in an interview with his club. "I'm doing very well and I'm getting close now. Friday was my first day back training with the team and the first steps back to normal life which was a good feeling."

Botman (knee) is expected to return to light training soon, according to manager Eddie Howe. "Sven is making good progress and we hope that he can begin light training with us within the next few weeks but there's still a jump from training to playing so we still need to be patient with him again."