Gareth Southgate makes surprising choice to replace injured Nick Pope in England squad

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Gareth Southgate makes surprising choice to replace injured Nick Pope in England squad

England manager Gareth Southgate has called Tottenham goalkeeper Fraser Forster into his squad for the upcoming March internationals.

Newcastle United's Nick Pope - who has kept a joint-high 12 clean sheets in the Premier League this season - was initially named in the Three Lions squad alongside Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale and Everton's Jordan Pickford.

However, he will now remain on Tyneside to undergo treatment on a minor injury. The Athletic report he had undergone some treatment prior to Newcastle's 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest on Friday, in which he completed the full 90 minutes.

Southgate has opted to call Forster into the setup following a run of games between the sticks for Spurs. Hugo Lloris has been sidelined with injury for over a month, allowing the veteran stopper to come into the starting XI.

Forster has put in some decent performances for Tottenham and saved a stoppage-time penalty in last week's 3-1 victory at home to Nottingham Forest.

He has been capped six times by England but has not featured for the Three Lions since 2016.

England will travel to Naples to take on Italy before returning to Wembley to face Ukraine in two Euro 2024 qualifiers this month.