The injury list of Newcastle United has continued to increase at the club as the season reaches its period of fixture congestion across all competition.
The manager of Newcastle, Eddie Howe confirmed in a press conference ahead of the game against Everton at Goodison Park. According to him, Nick Pope is expected to be out for at least four months after suffering an injury he picked up in the game against Manchester United.
He said,
"He is (Pope) had a couple of appointments visiting specialists. I'm awaiting final news on what will happen. We will anticipate he will need an operation. It hasn't happened yet but we're expecting around four months.I have seen a lot of the media headlines and press speculation regarding goalkeepers and other players. We've not made any enquiries about January in any position. If that was the case, we'd be recruiting in every position given the injuries we have in the squad. Hopefully thwill changeges by January. This is an opportunity for our goalkeepers to cement their positions."
This injury to Pope means that Newcastle will hope Martin Dubravka, who has played just a full game which was the Carabao Cup win against Manchester United. He also spoke about Martin Dubravka's form and how he will be ready for the game against Everton.
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"We really believe in Martin and I've always had that high opinion of him, Yes we brought in Nick, we wanted competition in all positions. He's a top-class goalkeeper, a great shot-stopper with good feet and distribution.He's been very, very good. The whole goalkeeping department has been very strong. They've all supported Nick. But they've all performed to a very high level individually and in training themselves. Martin is experienced enough to know things can change quickly. I've got no doubts about him as a goalkeeper or as a character."
