Eddie Howe is going to be forced to make at least one change when Newcastle United face Everton on Thursday night.
That is due to Nick Pope’s injury, with the 31-year-old set to miss up to five months of action after dislocating his shoulder against Manchester United.
It is devastating to lose Pope for such a long period of time, but it does present someone else with an opportunity to come into the side and impress.
It looks like Martin Dubravka is going to be the one who gets that opportunity, and he has received a huge amount of praise from Eddie Howe ahead of the midweek trip to Merseyside.
Eddie Howe ready to put Martin Dubravka in the Newcastle team
Ahead of Newcastle’s game against Everton, Howe has spoke to the media. He was asked about Martin Dubravka, who looks set to for an extended spell in the Toon starting lineup.
“I’ve always had a high opinion of him,” he told the Chronicle.
“Martin is a high class goalkeeper, a brilliant shot-stopper and very good with his feet too so there’s no hesitation about bringing him into the team.”
Howe is right to have confidence in Dubravka ahead of Everton clash
With Howe admitting that he has ‘no hesitation’ about bringing Dubravka into the side, it looks all but certain that he will start at Goodison Park on Thursday night.
That is no surprise, with the Slovakian the best option to replace Pope following his injury.
He will come into the starting XI, and it is likely where he will remain for the foreseeable future – unless the club sign a new goalkeeper in January.
However, that feels unlikely. Bringing someone else in would not reflect well on Dubravka, while the 34-year-old certainly has the talent to fill the void left by Pope.
He has proven to be a top class goalkeeper for Newcastle in the past, and Eddie Howe’s ringing endorsement suggests he has full confidence in the man who Rafa Benitez brought to the club back in 2018.
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