Nick Pope: Burnley & England keeper to have surgery three weeks before Euro 2020

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Before Sunday's trip to Sheffield United, Burnley had lost all five games in which Nick Pope had been absentImage source, Getty Images
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Before Sunday's trip to Sheffield United, Burnley had lost all five games in which Nick Pope had been absent this season

Burnley and England goalkeeper Nick Pope is to have knee surgery three weeks before the start of Euro 2020.

Pope, 29, will have a "minor" operation next week after missing Burnley's final three Premier League games, including Sunday's trip to Sheffield United.

Pope has been capped seven times - starting three World Cup qualifiers in March - and is a regular in Gareth Southgate's England squads.

Meanwhile, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is expected to be fit.

Southgate names his squad on Tuesday, with England's first game on 13 June.

Henderson returned from injury as an unused substitute in Liverpool's final victory over Crystal Palace and manager Jurgen Klopp said he expects the midfielder to be "fine" before the summer.

"I don't know if he will be in the squad but he is fine. He trained the last two days with us," Klopp said. "He can return to training as normal. He will be one of the few players in the squad who are fresh, which is good news."

While Pope's operation puts a question mark over his selection, Burnley boss Sean Dyche has not ruled him out of the tournament.

"It's not ideal for him or us and possibly for the England team. We'll wait and see," Dyche told BT Sport.

"It's nothing too serious, we don't think, but it still needed doing.

"He was trying to get right for this game [against Sheffield United] to give it a test but didn't quite come through in training, so he and we have had to make a judgement call on that.

"It's mainly down to him and he knows what he's got to do. He'll have the operation done this week and hopefully it will settle down for a quick recovery."

Pope, who made his England debut in a friendly against Costa Rica in 2018, has been Southgate's number two keeper behind Jordan Pickford for the majority of the past three years.

He started all three of the Three Lions' World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland in March while Everton keeper Pickford was sidelined with an injury.

Pope last played in Burnley's 2-0 win at Fulham on 10 May, missing defeats by Leeds United and Liverpool as well as the Clarets' final-day trip to Bramall Lane.

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