England boss Gareth Southgate has been told that ‘there aren’t many better goalkeepers’ in the Premier League than Newcastle United’s Nick Pope. The shot-stopper put in yet another top performance in the Magpies' 3-3 draw with Manchester City and gained further praise on top of the plaudits from the opening two league games of the season.
Southgate took in the draw against City from the directors’ box and while he had a host of English players to keep an eye on - including Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson - it was Pope who should have stood out. The former Burnley stopper pulled off several top-class saves to ensure United took a point from the Champions.
Having also put in a man-of-the-match performance against Brighton a week earlier, many feel that Pope is proving himself as the best English goalkeeper ahead of November’s World Cup. Speaking on The Everything is Black and White Podcast, Andrew Musgrove and Aaron Stokes believe that Pope should be ahead of Pickford for the international jersey.
"He's going to be for me," Musgrove noted, "arguably across the whole league, maybe Haaland aside, the bargain of the summer transfer window. £10 million for him? He's already paid that back with the points he's earned Newcastle United.
"His performance against City, with Gareth Southgate in the directors' box, if he's not seriously considering him to be England number one then I don't know what he's doing. Simple as that."
Stokes agreed. "We know how Southgate rates Jordan Pickford but I honestly don't think at this moment in time, you can say Jordan Pickford is anywhere near what Pope is playing in terms of form. He just looks so confident. He's coming out and commanding the area, taking crosses with ease and then obviously we haven't even mentioned the shot stopping.
" Newcastle go one-down, they try to get back into the game, City are flying forward and Pope saves a very good shot with his feet from De Bruyne, he saves a shot from Foden soon after and then obviously he then saves that De Bruyne free-kick all in the first half. That Haaland save in the second half was absolutely world-class.
"The way Haaland gets it out of his feet and bends it, you think that's going in. What a stop. For Eddie Howe, it was a massive massive call for Howe to drop Dubravka without a ball even being kicked.
"A huge call because I think everyone will agree Dubravka hasn't really put a foot wrong at Newcastle but already it looks like that decision is justified because Pope, whether he's a better shot stopper than Dubravka is up for debate but in terms of how he's playing right now, his form, I don't think there are many better keepers in the league than him right now."
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