Newcastle United centre-back Sven Botman could leave Eddie Howe with "a real decision" to make after losing his place in the team, according to journalist Keith Downie.

The Lowdown: Botman fighting for his place

The Dutchman completed a big-money move to St James' Park during the summer transfer window, coming in from Lille for £35m after thriving for the Ligue 1 outfit.

Botman has done well in general for the Magpies but he has been in and out of the team recently, only starting five of Newcastle's eight Premier League matches so far this term.

The 22-year-old did play all 90 minutes of Saturday's 4-1 win away to Fulham, but there is still a feeling that he is far from a guaranteed starter under Howe.

The Latest: Downie sounds Botman warning

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Sky Sports reporter Downie claimed that the Newcastle manager must ensure that Botman remains happy at St James' Park, even if he isn't starting every game.

The journalist warned Howe::

"He’s going to have a real decision on his hands moving forward. I mean, what you don’t want is someone like Sven Botman’s head going down because he’s not playing. You need to make sure he’s ready."

The Verdict: Highlights Newcastle's squad depth

In truth, this should be considered a positive situation in some ways, because it shows just how much quality Howe currently has in his squad at Newcastle.

The fact that Botman isn't a nailed-on starter is proof that other centre-backs like Fabian Schar and Dan Burn are stepping up to the plate, creating a healthy competition for places.

Of course, having an unhappy player in your ranks is never a good thing, if that is indeed the case with Botman, but the 22-year-old should embrace the challenge and raise his game, possibly guaranteeing himself a constant spot in Howe's starting line-up in that instance.

He has been described as 'the total package' by former team-mate and goalkeeper Warner Hahn, and now is the time for him to show that on a weekly basis.