Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe admits that he could offload one of his goalkeepers before the transfer window slams shut.
The Magpies boss has Nick Pope, Martin Dubravka, Karl Darlow and former Motherwell star Mark Gillespie at his disposal this season. There have already been rumblings from Dubravka's agent that he will not be content with the idea of being a back-up man to Pope.
Howe dropped an early hint on goalies when he started Pope over Dubravka in the 3-0 friendly win over 1860 Munich with the former Burnley man getting more work to do than the Slovakia ace.
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When asked about keepers by reporters, Howe said: "I like all of them. I’ve got no complaints with the quality.
"I think we’ve got an outstanding group of goalkeepers. I think ... whether we keep four goalkeepers at the end of pre-season, or the end of the transfer window, I don’t know at this moment in time. I think we’ll have to see what happens."
Whether Howe can pacify Dubrvaka with the idea of being benched remains to be seen. At 33 the former Sparta Prague man has made it clear he wants to start and his agent has indicated his client has options that include Premier League teams.
Pope also needs to play regular football to keep his hopes of a World Cup place alive.
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