‘Amazing!’: Newcastle United’s ‘incredible’ signing reacts to historic Champions League return

Nick Pope has spoken about Newcastle United’s return to the Champions League – after being ruled out of the club’s final game.

Pope has undergone surgery on a “lingering” finger problem, and will miss Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Chelsea. Martin Dubravka is set to deputise at Stamford Bridge.

"I’ve had it for a couple of months, it’s just something that’s been lingering and lingering," Pope told BBC Radio Newcastle. "Nice to get it sorted. Everything went really well."

Pope's last act this season was a superb save to deny Timothy Castagne late in Monday night’s goalless draw against Leicester City. The result at St James' Park guaranteed the third-placed club a top-four place.

It is 20 years since the club last competed in the Champions League, and Pope said: “Amazing. To do it at home, what an ending.

“Obviously, we’d have liked to have been 3-0 up, but when it gets to that stage, you realise the prize for a draw is just the same. We saw it out well. Amazing to get to 70 points.”

Pope, signed from Burnley last summer in a £10million deal, is “excited” by the prospect of Champions League football.

“It’s why you play football, why you start out to get to the top level you can,” said the 31-year-old, who will also miss England's Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia next month.

“It doesn’t get much higher. We’re a top team. We’ve proved that this season. It’ll be exciting to take to the field,. hear the anthem, and be in the group stages of the Champions League, and see how we can do.”

Eddie Howe had labelled Pope as an “incredible signing” after the Leicester game.

“Nick's been an incredible signing for us, he really has," said United's head coach. "His goalkeeping has been very, very good. He’s been very consistent, and made huge saves, from day one.

"He had nothing to do until right at the end. It was always going to be possibly like that. We got a bit nervy and jittery, and ended up playing deep passes in and around our box, and sitting off them for the first time in the game.

"They’re always going to get a moment, and that’s where you need your goalkeeper to keep his concentration and deliver, and Nick did again."