Newcastle United have an opportunity to make history on Sunday as they face off against Manchester United at Wembley in the League Cup final.
The Magpies have not won a major domestic trophy since they lifted the FA Cup in 1955 and Eddie Howe’s side can end that drought with a win this weekend.
However, they will have to do so without their first-choice goalkeeper after Nick Pope was shown a straight red card against Liverpool in the Premier League last weekend.
The £60k-per-week titan raced out of his goal and inadvertently handled the ball after attempting to head it clear and was sent off for the denial of a goalscoring opportunity, as Mo Salah would have been through against an empty net.
Loris Karius is now in with a shot at starting the final, due to Martin Dubravka being cup-tied, and the Daily Mail have revealed that Max Thompson, 18, will be in the squad as a backup to the German.
Who is Newcastle’s Max Thompson?
The teenage shot-stopper is one of the club’s U21 goalkeepers and could be the future long-term heir to Pope’s position in the team if all things go well for him.
Being in the squad on Sunday will be a terrific experience for the youngster and one that could give him added motivation to kick on and work his way into the senior set-up on a regular basis.
Thompson was the first choice between the sticks for the U18s last season – making 21 appearances in all competitions – and earned himself five U21 outings.
In the current campaign, the youngster has been competing with Jude Smith for a place in goal and has played in four Premier League 2 matches to date.
He was brought into first-team training in December, alongside Lewis Miley and Alex Murphy, and caught the eye for Newcastle’s youth team last term.
Journalist Mark Carruthers lauded his handling as “impeccable” and described the colossus as “reassuring”, whilst reporter Matty Hewitt hailed him as one of the club’s “bright talents”.
The gem has also been capped by England at U18 level and this, along with Howe’s decision to involve him in first-team training and now the squad on Sunday, suggests that the youngster has a lot of potential as coaches at international and club level are giving him great opportunities.
It is now down to Thompson to keep working hard to ensure that he is able to progress and develop to a point where the Newcastle head coach can pick him to play minutes in the first-team.
If the teenager can do that in the years to come then he could end up being the long-term heir to Pope, 30, and save PIF and Dan Ashworth millions in the process.