Sean Longstaff is sitting in front of reporters in the indoor pitch at Newcastle United's training ground, but the Geordie does not want to be here. In the nicest possible way.
You see it was Nick Pope who was supposed to be looking ahead to Newcastle's date with destiny at Wembley as the Magpies bid to end their 54-year wait for silverware. Only those plans had to change when Pope was sent off against Liverpool last week and the goalkeeper was handed a one-match ban. Hence Longstaff's last-minute call-up for media duties.
Longstaff feels it should be Pope in his seat previewing Sunday's Carabao Cup final versus Manchester United because of 'how important he is and how good he has been'. However, it is rather fitting that the midfielder has stepped up in his team-mate's absence. Longstaff is one of Pope's closest friends in the dressing room and felt the pain of the Newcastle number one's red card more than most after he handled the ball outside his area midway through the first half.
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"He was sat there at half-time and everyone was gutted when we walked in and saw him," Longstaff told ChronicleLive. "You could see on his face he was disappointed.
"He's a massive part of our team - not just on the pitch but in the dressing room, too. It was probably the worst I've ever felt for somebody in a game to be honest.
"We were 2-0 down against Liverpool. It's just a bit of common sense. You think, 'Does the referee need to punish him that badly?' The ref is not thinking about the cup final, but it was really disappointing for him.
"A few of us sent him a text last Saturday night. His response to my text just summed up everything I knew about him and how good of a person he is. Hopefully, it's a bit of added motivation for us to go and win it for him."
Pope will certainly be a big miss. No other goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets in the Premier League this season than Pope and the England international has made some remarkable saves since his summer move from Burnley to help his side pick up points against Brighton, Man City, Leeds United, Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
Pope has also brought an added dimension to this side at the back with his ability to sweep up and the Newcastle number one leads the way in the top-flight when it comes to defensive actions outside his own penalty area this season. Given how effective Pope has been at rushing off his line, there is an irony, then, that the 'keeper will miss the biggest game of his life after he sprinted to try and get to the ball before Mo Salah in the 2-0 defeat against Liverpool at St James' Park, but then handled the ball a long way from goal.
Yet Pope did not let that disappointment show. Indeed, it says a lot about Pope's character that the shot-stopper did not dwell on the fact he was missing Newcastle's first cup final in nearly 24 years after the game. Instead, Pope asked boss Eddie Howe what he could do to help his replacement, Loris Karius, who is primed to make his first competitive start for the club ahead of Mark Gillespie because Martin Dubravka is cup-tied and Karl Darlow is out on loan at Hull City.
"Popey didn't really want to speak about himself - it was about everyone else," Longstaff said. "I just thought after everything he has done and what has happened to him, for him to be like that, it shows the type of person he is. Everyone loves him in the dressing room.
"He will be a miss but we have got two really good 'keepers to step in. We have got every confidence in the world in whoever plays. If it is Loz who comes in, most likely, he has played more games in the Champions League than the whole squad put together so he's not a bad player to have coming in. I'm really confident in whoever comes in and it's a great opportunity for them."
Longstaff knows all about taking opportunities, himself, of course. After starting the campaign on the bench, the midfielder has been an ever-present in recent months - even popping up with an unforgettable double in the semi-final win against Southampton last month.
Having seriously considered his future at his boyhood club, before Eddie Howe's arrival, Longstaff is playing his best football since he first burst onto the scene in 2019 and was linked with a move to Sunday's opponents, Manchester United.
"I had only played nine games at the time and went from playing at Blackpool to suddenly your name was getting mentioned," Longstaff added. "Wherever you went, someone was trying to speak to you about it and, in my head, I was thinking, 'I can't even bend my knee'.
"It was a bit of a weird time but it happened at 21, 22 and all that is past me now and I came out the other side of it. I'm really happy here and everything happens for a reason.
"If someone was to say you would stay and play in a cup final for Newcastle, I would have snapped your hand off so I'm really happy with how it's all worked out."
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