Newcastle United training ground update after international star ruled out for five months with 'freak' injury

Newcastle United goalkeeper Nick Pope is in the ‘final stages’ of his rehabilitation process after almost five months out with a dislocated shoulder.

Pope hasn’t featured for Newcastle since picking up a freak dislocated shoulder injury against Manchester United at the start of December but head coach Eddie Howe is hopeful of seeing the player back in action before the end of the season. But with just five games remaining after the trip to Crystal Palace, time is running out for the 32-year-old to come in and make an impact.

And with England’s Euro 2024 squad being decided this summer, time is running out for the 10-time Three Lions international.

When asked if Pope has enough time to get fit and in contention for a place in the England squad, Howe responded: “It’s difficult for me to answer as he’s not training with us at the moment. He’s on the final stages of his work with the physios and the goalkeeping coaches in a controlled way.

“When he comes back training with us everything is uncontrolled and that’s the next step for him. We are running out of time this season because the games will go very, very quickly for him, but he’s looking good.

“When a goalkeeper gets that sort of injury there are psychological barriers you need to overcome because it’s such an important part of your body. He has to feel normal in his reflexes and his actions but he’s looking a lot better.”

Callum Wilson is back in contention for the final run of fixtures while Kieran Trippier (calf), Joelinton (thigh) and Miguel Almiron (knee) are also pushing to return before the end of the season. Joe Willock (Achilles), Lewis Miley (back), Sven Botman (knee), Jamaal Lascelles (knee) and Sandro Tonali (suspension) have been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign. “We're trying to get as many players fit to make a difference in the games coming up,” Howe added. “There has been some misleading stories out there that some players are training and are close to playing when they're not.

“We're hopeful that all four of those players [Pope, Trippier, Almiron and Joelinton] can play but difficult to put a definite date on that because none of them are training with the group at the moment.”