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Nick Pope is not in Newcastle’s squad ahead of the game against Everton, with the goalkeeper replaced by Aaron Ramsdale after his error against Marseille in midweek.
Pope was beaten by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in France after rushing out of his box and Newcastle say he misses out on the matchday squad “due to injury”.
Newcastle did not specify what Pope’s injury is. Eddie Howe did not mention a fitness issue on Friday during his pre-match conference.
Ramsdale starts for the first time in the Premier League this season, having joined from Southampton in the summer following the club’s relegation last campaign.
Howe said on Friday that he wants “consistency” in his selection at goalkeeper as he defended Pope following his error in the Champions League defeat.
“I need to think long and hard about who I pick,” Howe said in his pre-match press conference. “I’ll try and do that on merit. I have the luxury of seeing the players train every day, goalkeepers included.
“You don’t necessarily naturally try to rotate a goalkeeper, it’s a position of consistency. It is a big call to make because defenders get used to a certain style. Changing is something for me to consider but rotating is not something I want to do.
“There’s always two sides. His [Pope’s] goalkeeping has been very good. His shot-stopping has been incredible. A lot of those saves are under-rated and go under the radar. Because he delivers so many of them, it’s almost expected.
“The life of a goalkeeper is always on a knife-edge. You’re judged on a couple of moments and sometimes you get no reprieve, no one to save you the other way. Nick knows that. He’s been in the game long enough. It’s been a very strong [season] apart from a couple of high-profile moments.”
