Pope thrilled to be recalled to the England squad as Newcastle goalkeeper

At the peak of his form as the season begins, Pope has earned a call-up from England interim coach Lee Carsley for their upcoming Nations League matches.

"I'm delighted. It's obviously been a long road - it's been a while since I've been in it," he told newcastleunited.com. "I want to give massive credit to all the physios and sport science staff here who gave me the opportunity to be back on the pitch and in good shape, so big credit and thanks goes to them.

"It's early in the season now, but I feel like I've started the season well. It's still really early days, but I feel probably the strongest I've ever felt in my career and my body feels in a really good place, so I'm happy to hit the ground running.

"I think you just concentrate on your club football, because that's what helps you get there - it's kind of a product of doing well. I always concentrate on that, and then you kind of hope it's enough really, I suppose. It's nice to be back in."

Pope also remarked: "I've got a few England caps but you want to build and see how many you can get and obviously have an opportunity in the team to show that you can make a difference and perform well at that level, so I'm looking forward to what the next break brings.

"Any time you go away with England you want to impress, and you know that you're fighting to be part of the team. Obviously it's a new manager, a fresh sheet, so it's always important to have good first impressions. I'm looking forward to working with Lee for the first time, and his staff."