Newcastle United star may have already made farewell appearance ahead of major Southampton call

The 35-year-old’s first appearance of pre-season against Stade Brestois on Saturday came as a surprise after the arrival of two new goalkeepers cast major doubt over his future.

With Nick Pope as first choice and Mark Gillespie as bottom pick, the signings of Odysseas Vlachodimos and John Ruddy in between has sparked confusion over where Dubravka sits in the pecking order, therefore leading to speculation regarding his future.

Dubravka didn’t feature in either of United’s matches against Urawa Red Diamonds and Yokohama F. Marinos in Tokyo, despite linking up with the squad after the extended break he was given for his involvement at Euro 2024 with Slovakia.

However, the Slovakian returned to the fold at the weekend, playing the first-half against Brest. Dubravka pulled off two standout saves to keep the score at 1-0 before being replaced by Vlachodimos at half-time. Asked about Dubravka at full-time, Howe replied: “I thought Martin did really well today and he’s a really valued member of our squad.”

What will be telling is who Howe names on the bench between Dubravka and Vlachodimos when Southampton visit St James’ Park in the club’s Premier League opener on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).

If the latter is selected then Dubravka’s 45-minute cameo against Brest could well prove to be his farewell or at least his last appearance.

Dubravka is into the final year of his contract at Newcastle having made 163 appearances since first arriving from Sparta Prague in January 2018.

“I have no idea,” said Dubravka when asked about his Magpies future last month. “I have seen they are talking with other goalkeepers. I need to speak with the manager first. What is the plan for me? What is my future? I don’t know if they want me to stay or not. It is difficult for me, because I have been focussed on my job with the national team.”