Nick Pope is 'forced to withdraw from the England squad due to injury'

Fraser Forster has reportedly been called up to the England squad in place of Newcastle keeper Nick Pope – who has withdrawn with injury.

Pope, who was joined in the goalkeeping department in Gareth Southgate’s latest squad by Jordan Pickford and Aaron Ramsdale – the same three keepers who went to the World Cup – has won 10 caps for England since making his debut in 2018.

However, despite playing the full 90 minutes of Newcastle’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest on Friday, Pope is managing a minor injury, according to The Athletic.

The report states that the 30-year-old missed significant periods of training last week and is now set to receive treatment during the international break.

Forster – who has not played for England since 2016 – is reportedly set to replace Pope in the squad, with the Tottenham stopper deputizing at club level for Hugo Lloris since January while the Spurs captain has been out due to in knee injury.

Related:  Pep Guardiola insists it's his job to stop complacency creeping into Manchester City

Fraser Forster has been called up to the England squad as a replacement for the injured Nick Pope

Pope played the full 90 minutes of Newcastle’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest on Friday night

Forster has made 13 appearances for Spurs this season and returns to England duty after also being called up as a late substitute in March 2022 for friendlies with Switzerland and Ivory Coast when Sam Johnstone was knocked out.

He was a regular in the Three Lions squads under Roy Hodgson and won six caps between 2013-2016.

Forster also went to both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Euros with England where he served as an understudy to Joe Hart.

The 35-year-old – who joined Spurs from Southampton on a free transfer last summer – conceded three times at his former club during a pulsating 3-3 draw on Saturday.

However, he received praise for his performances in Lloris’ absence.

‘I like Fraser as a person, because he is a very good person,’ Spurs assistant boss Cristian Stellini said recently.

Forster (C) in England training ahead of the 2014 World Cup with Ben Foster (L) and Joe Hart (R)

Jordan Pickford is the undisputed No. 1 pick for Gareth Southgate during his tenure

‘His behavior this season has been perfect. Every day, he pushes himself to train hard and, with this behavior, he pushes Hugo to train hard.

‘He is a great person before a great goalkeeper because we don’t have to forget (that) we are men before we are players.

‘The difference between Hugo is that we start to think physically. He (Forster) is a keeper that is perfect for the style of the Premier League, for the type of game we play in the Premier League, and he uses both feet when he plays the ball.

‘We trust him. We trust him completely.’

England begin their Euro 2024 qualification campaign with games against Italy on Thursday in Naples, before hosting Ukraine at Wembley next Sunday.