NEWCASTLE UNITED cannot recall Karl Darlow from his loan spell at Hull City – so Eddie Howe will have to choose between either Loris Karius or Mark Gillespie to start in goal in next weekend’s Carabao Cup final with Manchester United.

Nick Pope will be suspended for Sunday’s game at Wembley after he was sent off for handling the ball outside the area during today’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.

Martin Dubravka is also ineligible for the final as he is cup-tied after representing Manchester United in this season’s competition during a loan spell at Old Trafford.

Darlow joined Hull on loan last month, and Newcastle are unable to recall him from the MKM Stadium.

As a result, Newcastle will either have to rely on Karius, who has not played a competitive game for two years, or Gillespie, whose most recent senior appearance came in a League Cup game against Newport in September 2020.

“Nick’s very disappointed, understandably, as we are for him,” said Howe, who watched his side suffer only their second league defeat of the season thanks to first-half goals from Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo.

“He’s been magnificent this season for us and he doesn’t deserve to miss the game, but it is what it is and we’ll see what our options are.

“We have Loris and Mark, who have trained really well this season and been part of the goalkeeping team all season. They’re both fit and ready to play. I don’t believe we have a recall option with Karl.”

While neither Karius nor Gillespie have played a single minute of football this season, Howe is confident their involvement on the training ground will mean they are capable of stepping in at Wembley next weekend.

“Behind the scenes, these lads train every day,” said Howe. “They play games behind closed doors, and I’ve got no doubt they’re both in a great physical condition to play the game.

“They’ve got no injury concerns. They’ve been part of our goalkeeping unit, and we’re very hands-on and active with them during the sessions.

“We will mix and rotate who we use in certain moments, so they’ve all been part of our training all season.”