Garth Crooks raises question Newcastle United fans have been asking about Nick Pope for months

Pope was in the squad as England reached the semi-final in Russia four years ago but didn’t get on the pitch as Everton’s Jordan Pickford was preferred. Heading into the 2022 tournament, Pickford is still viewed as The Three Lions’ first choice goalkeeper.

But Newcastle fans have been chanting ‘England’s No. 1’ at Pope since pre-season. While it may have been slightly tongue-in-cheek at first, now, based on club form at least, the chant holds some serious merit.

Pope has kept the joint-most clean sheets and plays for the side with the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League. The 30-year-old is level in both instances with Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale, who just so happens to be the other goalkeeper heading to Qatar with England.

Pope was nominated for the Premier League’s player of the month for August and has since only conceded five goals in his last nine competitive appearances for The Magpies. That includes saving three penalties in a shoot-out win over Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup.

In contrast, an error from Pickford saw Everton fall to a defeat against Bournemouth as The Toffees sit 17th after 15 games.

BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks named Pope in his Premier League following Newcastle’s 1-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday. Although the England international was rarely called into action, he made one ‘impressive’ save in the second half just moments before Joe Willock scored the winning goal.

“The save by Nick Pope from Chelsea's Conor Gallagher was impressive but nothing less than what I expected from an international goalkeeper,” Crooks said when explaining Pope’s selection in his team of the week.

“The question is, when is Pope going to replace Jordan Pickford for England? Everton are languishing in 17th place while Pope, 30, has helped Newcastle into the top four, keeping clean sheets, and his confidence is sky high.

“Gareth Southgate must not lose the self-assurance Pope has gained from playing so well for the Magpies these past few months. I very much doubt Southgate will remove Pickford from the number one spot but based on form he should for their first game in Qatar against Iran.”

Pope’s Newcastle and England team-mate Kieran Trippier was also named in Crooks’ team of the week as he continued his fantastic form at right-back.

"The inclusion of Kieran Trippier in England's World Cup squad is not just indicative of how well he's playing but also the impact his captaincy is having on Newcastle United,” Crooks added.

“The full-back has been outstanding for much of the season and instrumental in the Geordies sitting proudly among the Premier League elite.

“Chelsea, however, seem to be struggling with the demands of playing three games a week. Graham Potter is new to this level of management and must learn to manage his resources better if he's to survive at Stamford Bridge.

"The Blues have got used to winning and currently sit eighth in the table. Any lower and there will be murmurings.”

Crooks’ Premier League team of the week: Pope (Newcastle); Trippier (Newcastle), Gabriel (Arsenal), Faes (Leicester), Robertson (Liverpool); Odegaard (Arsenal), Barnes (Leicester), Kulusevski (Tottenham); Toney (Brentford), Ings (Aston Villa), Nunez (Liverpool)