David De Gea is open to a move to Newcastle United if Eddie Howe decides to replace Nick Pope with another goalkeeper.

Pope will be out for four to five months after sustaining a catastrophic shoulder injury in Newcastle’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United at St James’ Park on Saturday.

Howe is expected to give Martin Dubravka, Pope’s understudy who spent part of last season on loan at Old Trafford, a chance to establish his worth in the coming weeks.

Newcastle have seven games scheduled for this month, and Howe want to observe how Dubravka handles a hectic schedule before rushing to sign a goalkeeper.

Nonetheless, Newcastle is expected to reassess the position if Dubravka struggles or defensive issues arise between now and the New Year, forcing the club to look for a goalkeeper in the January window. Loris Karius, a former Liverpool goalkeeper, is another option for Howe.

De Gea, 33, is a free agent after being released by Manchester United at the end of last season after 12 years with the club, where he made 545 appearances.

Although De Gea was initially hesitant to return to the Premier League, the Spaniard is said to be open to joining Newcastle if such a chance arises, and the Tyneside club is said to be aware of this.

It has been six months since De Gea departed United and was replaced by Andre Onana, who has had a difficult start at Old Trafford and has been content to bide his time until the proper opportunity presents itself.

De Gea has been linked with several clubs in Europe as well as with Saudi Arabia. His wife Edurne, with whom he has a baby girl Yanay, is reported to want to stay in Spain.

Some of De Gea’s former Manchester United colleagues were not pleased with the way in which he left the club.

United had decided not to use an option to extend his £375,000-a-week contract for another year, instead seeking to lock him to a new contract on drastically lower terms.

However, following a succession of blunders by De Gea and worries over his distribution, Ten Hag decided in April that he needed a new goalkeeper.

Despite this, De Gea earned the Premier League Golden Glove for the most clean sheets (17) last season.