Newcastle United goalkeeper Nick Pope is reportedly set to miss out on England’s upcoming EURO2024 qualifiers through injury, with Tottenham veteran Fraser Forster set to be called up instead.
Gareth Southgate named Pope in his squad when it was announced on Thursday, with the Three Lions in action against Italy and Ukraine next week as they look to begin their journey to Euro 2024 in Germany.
However, as per David Ornstein, ‘Pope has now withdrawn despite managing to play the full 90 minutes of Newcastle’s 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest on Friday’ having missed much of the week’s training with a minor injury.
He will receive treatment for said injury during the break, which has led to Forster’s call-up as the Three Lions’ third-choice goalkeeper once more.
Forster was in the squad this time last year due to injuries, and the 35-year-old has featured regularly since February for his club after an injury to Hugo Lloris, leaving him to deputise.
He has not featured for England since 2016, when he earned the last of his six caps, and is unlikely to do so once more unless something dramatic happens to England no.1 Jordan Pickford and Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale, widely considered the no.2.
“He needed a bit of time for his injury to settle down, which pretty much ruled him out of the England thing. Whether that means they needed a bit of time to double-check that, I don’t know”, he explained.
