Sven Botman has withdrawn from international duty with the Holland Under 21s so that he can focus on playing for Newcastle United.
It’s a bold move by our new centre-back but commendable nonetheless. Having been overlooked by Louis van Gaal for the senior squad, Botman has taken it upon himself to pull out of the Under 21s in order to cement his starting place in Newcastle’s back line after Eddie Howe opted for Dan Burn over Botman against Bournemouth citing the former’s experience as the main reason.
Botman may now face an uphill battle to get back into contention for the Dutch senior squad if Van Gaal takes this move as a slight against the Dutch set-up, however, with Botman not being called up for the upcoming friendlies, his place in the World Cup squad looked unlikely and it seems Botman has taken all of this into consideration and believes his priority has to be Newcastle United.
The Chronicle said “Botman has told Dutch FA chiefs that getting into the Newcastle side is more important than playing junior international friendly matches for the Holland U21s” which is excellent news for Newcastle fans who are already on edge with several players called up for international duty for the upcoming round of friendlies – any further injuries will seriously damage what is already looking like a threadbare squad.
Bruno Guimaraes returned to the team against Bournemouth lasting 70 minutes before being replaced and has now joined up with the Brazil squad. The Toon Army are sitting with all extremities crossed hoping that he comes back unscathed and the last few games have shown how much we miss his work rate and creativity.
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NEWCASTLE’S TOON ARMY IS HOME TO SOME FAMOUS FACES. HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THEM?