Eddie Howe admits he is relishing the prospect of his four central defenders battling it out for a place in the heart of Newcastle United's backline. The Magpies boss opted for a pairing of Dan Burn and Fabian Schar in the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday as new signing Sven Botman settled for a spot on the bench.
Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles was also named among the substitutes before pulling out of contention during the warm-up with a thigh issue. Botman played a matter of minutes, replacing Bruno Guimaraes in stoppage time.
Quizzed about his options at the back and the clamour among fans for Botman to start, Howe admitted he was looking forward to the Dutchman battling it out to try and wrestle a centre-back spot from one of his fellow team-mates.
