Newcastle fans suffer whiplash as new reports on Nick Pope surface after "out for season" scare

So, you know that thing we just said about Nick Pope being out for the rest of the season? Yeah, ignore that.

No sooner had we hit the button to put our story live about Nick Pope suffering a setback in his recovery than Craig Hope and Lee Ryder both post on X that our number-one choice goalkeeper is still on track to return this month.

No disrespect to Joel Bland here, as we've found him to be super reliable this season, but he's outnumbered two to one by journalists with a direct line to the club so, we're going with what they said.

Craig Hope claimed that Pope is on track for a return before the end of the season and will make a late push to be part of Gareth Southgate's England squad for the Euros.

Lee Ryder has corroborated what Craig Hope has said about Pope

Meanwhile, Lee Ryder is saying the same thing, that Pope is on track for a return.

While it's great news that Pope in still on track with his recovery, there's still a fear that we try and rush him back too early and we've seen the damage that can do this season.

Although, to be honest, our patience with Martin Dubravka is so thin right now it might be worth the risk.

Some more good news from Craig Hope

Craig Hope also provided a glimmer of hope around Lewis Miley too, who picked up a back injury on international duty and was also looking likely to miss the rest of the season.

"Lewis Miley has another scan this week but looks like bone bruising on back & not more serious. Could feature in final few games but won’t be rushed"

We're okay with the club not rushing the lad back for the final few games if it means he gets to recover properly, but it's great news that it's nothing more serious than bruising.