Newcastle United defender Sven Botman has been ruled out for at least six months after a scan showed he will require surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The 24-year-old Netherlands international initially suffered an issue to the same knee against Brentford in September, which subsequently went undetected for two games. Though Botman subsequently missed two months in an attempt to rest the leg and avoid surgery, Newcastle released a statement saying that he had suffered another issue in the same knee during the 2-0 FA Cup defeat at Manchester City on Saturday. The injury will keep Botman out of this summer's European Championship. Newcastle United's medical team will be working closely with Botman to ensure his recovery is as smooth as possible. The club will be looking to other players to step up in Botman's absence. Botman's injury is a significant blow to Newcastle United, who will be without one of their key defenders for an extended period. The club's fans will be hoping for a speedy recovery for the young defender. Newcastle United's manager will have to adjust his tactics to compensate for the loss of Botman. The team's performance will be closely watched in the coming months to see how they cope without their injured defender.