Pope’s position in Newcastle’s starting line-up was called into question after his error led to Marseille’s opening goal in the Magpies’ Champions League defeat in the Stade Velodrome.
Howe defended Pope during his press conference on Friday morning, but a few hours later, the goalkeeper suffered a groin injury during training that meant he was unable to feature in the squad at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Aaron Ramsdale replaced him for Newcastle’s 4-1 win, with Pope due to have a scan in the next few days that will reveal how long he is expected to be on the sidelines.
“That’s [whether Pope would have started] for me to know,” said Howe, whose side were claiming their first league away win of the season on Merseyside. “We’re disappointed to lose Nick, we can’t afford to lose any player.
“He suffered an injury just towards the end of training. I didn’t name the team yesterday. We were just training as normal, and he was just wrong-footed on a shot and just felt something in his groin, more after training than in that moment.
“We hope he’s not out for long, we need him back. He’ll have a scan in the next few days to find the damage.”
READ MORE:
What changed for Newcastle United in Everton win - and implications for derby at Sunderland
Player Ratings: The Newcastle player who was 'completely dominant' - and one who had his 'best display' for club
Ramsdale impressed in Pope’s absence, commanding his area effectively from set-pieces and helping to spark the move that ended with Nick Woltemade scoring Newcastle’s third goal with a swift throw to Tino Livramento.
“Nick and Aaron are very different goalkeepers with very different strengths,” said Howe. “They’re both very effective.
“I think Aaron showed his qualities with the ball at his feet today, he distributed the ball very well. He wasn’t overly worked necessarily in terms of shots, but what he did have to handle, I thought he did well. I didn’t think he could do much for the goal. I think it’s a good day for him and a good day for the team in general.”
Sven Botman is another player who will have a medical assessment this week, having also been unable to feature against Everton.
The centre-half is struggling with a back problem, with Howe hoping he is not set for another lengthy spell out of the side.
“Sven is going to see a specialist this week,” said the Magpies boss. Fingers crossed, he’s not out for too long. Any absence of a player with Sven’s qualities, especially with the injuries that he has had, is a blow for us. So, fingers crossed.”