Nick Pope suffered a dislocated shoulder in Newcastle's 1-0 win over Manchester United; the England international will now need a shoulder operation, ruling him out for four months; Newcastle will turn to backup goalkeepers Loris Karius and Martin Dubravka
Wednesday 6 December 2023 14:23, UK
Newcastle United goalkeeper Nick Pope is facing around four month on the sidelines as he prepares to undergo shoulder surgery.
The England international dislocated his left shoulder during Saturday's 1-0 Premier League victory over Manchester United, and head coach Eddie Howe is resigned to losing him for most of the remainder of the season.
Howe said: "We anticipate he'll be operated on - there's no doubt he needs an operation - so he will be out for a period of time, we think around four months."
Pope, 31, was in brilliant form before his injury, with a string of outstanding saves against Bournemouth, Chelsea and PSG leading to calls for him to be recalled to the England squad.
Without Pope for an extended spell, Newcastle will need to lean on Martin Dubravka - who replaced his injured team-mate on Saturday - and Loris Karius.
Reports in the media have linked Newcastle with Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale, who has lost the starting berth at Arsenal since the arrival of David Raya, and free agent David De Gea, who left Manchester United in the summer.
"I've seen the names mentioned this week but we haven't looked at that yet," Howe acknowledged.
"We want to give Dubravka a chance - we trust him. We haven't considered January yet."
December 7: Everton (A) - Premier League, kick-off 7.30pm
December 10: Tottenham (A) - Premier League, live on Sky Sports, kick-off 4.30pm
December 13: AC Milan (H) - Champions League, kick-off 8pm
December 16: Fulham (H) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
December 19: Chelsea (A) - Carabao Cup quarter-final, live on Sky Sports, kick-off 8pm
December 23: Luton (A) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
December 26: Nottingham Forest (H) - Premier League, kick-off 12.30pm
January 1: Liverpool (A) - Premier League, live on Sky Sports, kick-off 8pm
