Eddie Howe explains Newcastle United goalkeeper Karl Darlow's omission ahead of squad decision

Nick Pope and Martin Dubravka played against Atalanta and Athletic Bilbao respectively over the weekend – and Mark Gillespie was on the bench for both games.

Howe only needs three senior goalkeepers for his 25-man Premier League squad, and there has been speculation over the futures of Dubravka and Darlow following the signing of Nick Pope from Burnley this summer.

Asked why 31-year-old Darlow was not involved in the back-to-back games at St James’s Park, Howe said: “He’s fine. Karl played in the previous two games (against Benfica and Burnley), so it was just a rotation.”

Howe was asked about No.1 Dubravka’s performance in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Athletic. United’s head coach said: “I thought Martin did very well today. He made a couple of very good saves and distributed the ball well. Nick played really well (against Atalanta), so again, that’s a tough call.”