Sven Botman will have to wait for his chance as Eddie Howe looks set to repeat the Bruno Guimaraes strategy which helped the January signing become a Newcastle United 'crowd favourite'. That is the view of Tim Sherwood, who praised Dan Burn and Fabian Schar following the opening-day victory over Nottingham Forest.
The Magpies failed in their mid-season efforts to lure Botman to Tyneside, but managed to strike a deal to bring the highly-rated defender to the club this summer. The 22-year-old impressed in pre-season, but had to settle for a spot on the bench for the first fixture of the season on Saturday.
Howe opted for Burn and Schar at the heart of defence as a reward for their form at the end of last season, and the Swiss international opened the scoring against Forest with an emphatic long-range strike. Callum Wilson netted the second and Botman made his competitive black-and-white debut as an injury-time substitute in the 2-0 win.
