Newcastle United must now galvanise ahead of the Carabao Cup final after being dealt a bad hand in their 2-0 defeat against Liverpool.
With Nick Pope suspended the incident also highlighted the lack of back-up options in the goalkeeper department with Loris Karius now expected to play his first game in two years. Not since a 1-1 draw for Union Berlin against Hoffenheim has Karius played a competitive game when he appeared in the Bundesliga in February 2021.
The other option is Geordie goalkeeper Mark Gillespie with his last piece of senior action coming even longer ago back in 2020 during the lockdown when he played in goal against Newport County in the League Cup on a night in which United won on penalties. Gillespie, a boyhood Toon fan who came through the Academy before heading to Carlisle, Walsall and Motherwell to make a living, is no stranger to the big occasion though.
