Nick Pope opens up on Newcastle United injury after undergoing finger surgery

Newcastle United goalkeeper Nick Pope has confirmed he is back to full health after recovering from finger surgery.

Having frequently dislocated his finger over the course of the 2022-23 campaign, the 31-year-old underwent surgery less than 24 hours after the Magpies secured Champions League qualification with a goalless draw against Leicester City on Monday, May 22.

It meant Pope missed the final day clash at Stamford Bridge but his recovery couldn’t have been better timed after the England international returned for the second game of the Premier League Summer Series in the United States versus Chelsea.

“We played Leicester on the Monday night and obviously secured the Champions League, so on the Tuesday morning, I was off to Wigan of all places to get it done,” Pope explained.

“It was just a finger that kept dislocating too easily, which is not ideal for a goalkeeper. The joint kept dislocating, so I had to get it stabilised. I had a kind of anchor put in it and then got it taped up with some cotton wool.

“There were probably four or five times over the course of six months where it happened. There was one at the World Cup, one in September and a couple around games after that. It happened in a game once – against Bournemouth – but the rest of the times were in training, really.

“When it came out, the first time was probably the worst in terms of the pain, then it kind of eases off, which is a good thing pain-wise, but probably not a good thing for your health.

“I give credit to Matt Targett – he was the first to make it dislocate in training. It was a penalty that he was obviously never going to take, so I wasn’t best pleased after that!

“I wasn’t pushing it back in – I left that to the doctor. I didn’t really want to look at it to be honest, it would happen, then I would glance down at my hand and then look away. You just kind of get used to it really, and try to protect it the best you can. It was strapped up, and my gloves have kind of spines round the back of them, so that was helpful.

“It wasn’t like it was happening all the time, and it was normal stuff setting it off really, nothing drastic. But every time it dislocated, it was getting weaker and the joint was getting weaker. It was one of those situations where if I did nothing about it, it was only going to get worse.”

Pope played 90 minutes against Brighton and Hove Albion and Villarreal in pre-season and is set to start Newcastle’s Premier League opener against Aston Villa on Saturday (kick-off 5:30pm).

Build up to Newcastle’s first game of the new Premier League season with our FREE football newsletter. Get team news, transfer headlines and more when you sign up for NUFC Latest. Follow the action from St James’ Park and beyond. Visit our website here to sign up.

The former Burnley man said: “I’m really happy with it now. The rehab has gone really well every step of the way. I’ve had regular intervals with the specialist and the surgeon, and was seeing the physio most days, so I’ve always felt like I’ve never been behind in the rehab process.

“It was slow at times – there’s only so many exercises you can do with a finger – and it was a bit dull, but the fact I could have the time off during the summer worked out really well.

“It’s one of those things as a goalkeeper. You probably dislocate fingers most seasons, really. I think goalkeepers go through that sort of thing quite regularly, so I wouldn’t say that it was anything that ever put me in doubt of being able to play my best. I did it in a game and played on, and did it the day before a game and played the next day, so it was always just something that needed fixing whenever the time was right.

“It was always going to be an eight-week turnaround at best, so I knew I was just trying to get through to the end of the season and then get it sorted. Luckily, getting the Champions League a week early gave me an even better window to know I could get ready for this season, so that was a real bonus.”

Pope was speaking to journalists at the Premiere of the Amazon Prime documentary ‘We are Newcastle United’. The first episode airs on Friday August 11, followed by new episodes every Friday through to September 1.