Successful Surgery For Pope

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Unfortunate timing as 'top keeper' misses Euros

2021-05-26T11:41:18.922Z

Successful Surgery For Pope

Unfortunate timing as 'top keeper' misses Euros

2021-05-26T11:41:18.922Z

Unfortunate timing as 'top keeper' misses Euros

Nick Pope has undergone successful knee surgery and manager Sean Dyche is looking forward to him being back to his best next season.

The Clarets’ goalkeeper was ruled out of England’s plans for the finals of Euro 2020 with a knee problem which had troubled him for the final stage of the Premier League season.

Pope was hoping to play in Burnley’s final game of the campaign at Sheffield United last Sunday to prove his fitness for the Euros.

But after feeling further discomfort was booked in for an operation to address a cartilage issue in his left knee which he underwent on Tuesday.

“We’re expecting the recovery to go well at this early stage, but we’ll wait and see as he recovers,” said Dyche.

“He’s had a really, really good season once again.

“He continues to develop into a top, top keeper.

“He’s incredibly unfortunate to have this happen at this time but once again he’s shown what a top keeper he is during the season and I’m sure will do again going into next season once he recovers.”

Pope missed the final three games of the Clarets’ campaign after keeping a clean sheet at Fulham in the 2-0 win at the start of May which guaranteed Burnley’s top-flight survival.

Only three keepers in the Premier League kept more than Pope’s 11 clean sheets during the 2020/21 season and the 29-year-old would have been a certain pick by Gareth Southgate for his final 26-man squad for the delayed Euro finals.

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Pope started England’s last three games as they made a winning start to their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign.

And after being part of the England squad that reached the semi-finals of the 2018 tournament in Russia – helped by a last-16 penalty shoot-out win over Colombia – Pope’s absence is a cruel stroke of luck for the Clarets’ number-one.

“For Nick, it's heartbreaking to get an injury so close to a major tournament,” said England coach Southgate.

“He's been a fantastic member of our squad; a totally unselfish guy.

“In Russia, he spent hour after hour throwing himself around for penalties, which was as important in our penalty shoot-out success as the guys who took them.

“Him and (then Stoke goalkeeper) Jack Butland were phenomenal in those situations. I'm really disappointed for him.”