Kieran Trippier and Nick Pope are the first Newcastle United players in almost 15 years to earn simultaneous England call-ups. Gareth Southgate announced his squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Germany and Italy this week and included the Magpies duo.
Toon supporters waited six years to have one player in the Three Lions setup - and now they have two. Trippier’s two caps in June broke a six-year curse stretching back to May 2016 when Andros Townsend featured in a 2-1 win over Australia.
However, you have to roll back the years further to discover when Newcastle last had two representatives in the England squad. Not since November 2007 have two United players been summoned to Three Lions duty together.
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Back then, Alan Smith and Michael Owen were drafted in for the crunch double-header against Austria and Croatia. The duo featured in the friendly game against the former - albeit not at the same time - as Owen hobbled off on 37 minutes due to injury.
But neither played any part in the humiliating horror show at Wembley five days later. Despite possessing England’s well-documented “golden generation”, Steve McClaren - eight years before his calamitous reign on Tyneside - failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
On a rainy night in London, the infamous “wally with the brolly” moniker was born. Ironically, Trippier and Pope are now tasked with saving England’s Nations League campaign after zero wins from four fixtures.
A heavy 4-0 defeat to Hungary at the back end of last season triggered warning signs ahead of the winter World Cup. The pair have already banished one demon, now they must tackle another to save Southgate’s Nations League hopes.
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