FRASER FORSTER has received a shock England call-up after Nick Pope pulled out of the squad with injury.
The Tottenham deputy has been in regular action in recent weeks following Hugo Lloris’ injury.
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate initially named Pope in his squad alongside first choice Jordan Pickford and Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale.
Pope, 30, has been nursing a minor injury this week.
He managed to play the full 90 minutes as Newcastle beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 on Friday night.
But according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Pope has pulled out of the England squad in order to receive treatment.
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He has been replaced by experienced six-cap stopper Forster at short notice.
Forster was previously a regular in the Three Lions set up, but hasn’t played for his country since 2016.
The imposing 6ft 7in stopper was included in Southgate’s squad for matches against Switzerland and Ivory Coast 12 months ago.
That call-up had been Forster’s first in five years.
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The former Celtic goalkeeper quit Southampton for Tottenham last summer.
He made just one appearance in all competitions prior to the World Cup, but has filled in for Lloris frequently since.
Forster made his Prem debut for Spurs against Brentford on Boxing Day, and also played in both legs of their Champions League round of 16 defeat to AC Milan.
In total he has made 12 appearances for Tottenham this term, keeping five clean sheets.
The experienced stopper was part of Roy Hodgson’s England squads for the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016.
Pope, meanwhile, has earned ten England caps – the most recent coming in the 3-3 draw with Germany at Wembley last September.
He has been part of Southgate’s squads for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, but missed Euro 2020 with a knee injury.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
