What Eddie Howe’s relationship with Martin Dubravka is now really like

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For the foreseeable future, Eddie Howe is going to be picking Martin Dubravka as his Newcastle United goalkeeper.

That is because of Nick Pope’s injury, with the 31-year-old due to be out of action for up to five months after dislocating his shoulder in the 1-0 win over Manchester United.

There has been speculation that Newcastle could make a move for a new goalkeeper in January, with David De Gea linked with a move to St James’ Park. However, that rumour has led to confusion among people inside the club.

For now, Howe is going to put his faith in Dubravka. The Magpies have seven games between now and the January transfer window opening, meaning the Slovakian will have plenty of opportunities to prove that Newcastle can cope with what they’ve got following Pope’s injury.

It also means that Howe will be picking a player who he dropped in the summer of 2022 when he opted to make Nick Pope his first choice goalkeeper instead.

That ultimately led to Dubravka leaving on loan, with his temporary spell at Manchester United proving to be a waste of time.

The 34-year-old cut his deal short and has been back at Newcastle for almost a year now, and a new report from the Athletic has shared details of what Dubravka’s relationship with Howe is like nowadays.

Eddie Howe and Martin Dubravka have a good relationship

According to the Athletic, the relationship between Howe and Dubravka has been excellent ever since he returned from his loan spell at Manchester United.

They state that Howe remained in contact with the stopper while he was at Old Trafford, which eventually led to Dubravka asking to be recalled and operate as deputy to Pope.

Now the understudy is going to take centre stage, at a time when Newcastle could soon have the option to replace him. However, that would be unwise.

Unless he performs terribly, it would be a big risk to sign another goalkeeper to play ahead of Dubravka. That would not send a good message to him, and it would likely lead to him seeking a move away from St James’ Park.

It is a delicate situation, but one that can be avoided if Dubravka shines in between the sticks for Newcastle United. We have confidence that he will do just that, like he did for so many years.