Nick Pope has signalled his desire to prioritise Newcastle United over England this season. With the World Cup in Qatar five months away, the Magpies’ new goalkeeper has a realistic chance of making Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad.
Last month, Pope was called up for the Three Lions setup but served as understudy to Jordan Pickford and Aaron Ramsdale. An impressive start to the campaign on Tyneside could force Southgate to rethink his goalkeeping order.
Newcastle’s new man must first dispatch Martin Dubravka at club level, who has been the undisputed number one since arriving at St James’ Park in 2018. Eddie Howe has two Premier League quality shot-stoppers to call upon - giving him a selection dilemma ahead of the new season.
