Nick Pope, the England goalkeeper, is consulting a specialist over a knee injury he suffered in Newcastle United’s 4-2 defeat at Brentford last weekend.
Pope, 32, complained of pain in his knee in training and will now be assessed ahead of Newcastle’s home match against Leicester City on Saturday which begins a pivotal run of games for Eddie Howe and his team.
Newcastle, who are 12th in the Premier League, face Brentford in a Carabao Cup quarter-final on Wednesday and then travel to Ipswich Town. Any extended time on the sidelines for Pope would represent a significant blow.
“Initially, we thought it was nothing,” Howe told reporters at his regular pre-match press conference. “He’s seeking some specialist opinion today and then we’ll see if he’s available.”
If Pope is ruled out, Martin Dubravka represents an experienced replacement. “We have a very strong unit,” Howe said. “We have a very good team of goalkeepers. If you look at the experience behind Nick, it’s a great thing for us to utilise. So let’s see what happens with Nick today but we back all the goalkeepers we have.”
Howe said that Joe Willock, the midfielder, was “making good progress,” from the minor hamstring injury that ruled him out at Brentford, although he has not trained with the first-team this week and that Lewis Miley is “looking really good,” as he continues his rehabilitation from a broken metatarsal.
The Athletic reported on Thursday that striker Callum Wilson is set for a lengthy period on the sidelines after suffering another injury setback.
The 32-year-old has made just four appearances so far this season and only recently returned after a long-term back injury.
(Stephanie Meek – CameraSport via Getty Images)
