Jordan Pickford has responded to the growing competition from James Trafford, insisting he welcomes the challenge as he prepares to return to England's starting line-up for the next two Nations League games.
The 32-year-old has sat out the last three England matches, with Dean Henderson starting the World Cup third-place play-off and Trafford given the first two Nations League games against Spain and the Czech Republic. England boss Thomas Tuchel has said Pickford remains first choice, but the goalkeeper now finds himself in a job share for the first time in eight years as the national team's No.1.
Reflecting on the Enzo Fernandez goal
Pickford has also done a lot of reflection on the Enzo Fernandez goal that saw England lose control of the World Cup semi-final against Argentina and crash to a heartbreaking defeat. The question has lingered over whether Pickford should have saved the long-range strike.
Pickford said: "I tried to scan for the ball. There were a lot of bodies in front. He's got a free touch and shot. It just went away from me.
"It's one of them I'd say as a goalkeeper the balls were moving fast over there. So they come at you a lot quicker. It's one of them where everyone will judge. In that moment, you know yourself if you could have done better or not. I went after the ball and I didn't get it.
"There's always going to be people asking the questions but I think if you're not a goalkeeping expert then you won't know what you're talking about."
Embracing the competition
Pickford is back for the next two games and insists he does not have a problem with the situation, other than admitting he wants to play every game. He said: "The manager mentioned it as well, it got explained the night before the Spain game. He said it was a new competition, to also give Traff a couple of games. It was fine by me and it was like, 'Right, now it's time I need to go again'.
"It's good for Traff. I've always said I've had good competition since I made my debut in 2017, I've always had that competition, and it's about me improving, keep going, keep striving for me. I love nothing more than having competition. I would say it's a credit to the keepers we bring through in England now, you're seeing a lot more of English goalkeepers playing.
"Yeah of course. I always want to be No1. I'll always keep working on myself, keep developing. I've always said in every interview I'm always striving for more in myself, and always improving in areas I feel I need to improve, whether it's on the pitch, in the gym or my mind work."
Working with a sports psychologist
Pickford's mind work has led him to work with a sports psychologist, a route he has been open about. He spent three hours on a Zoom call with his psychologist on Thursday night, which he described as "grafting" to make himself better.
Pickford added: "For me it's breaking that ceiling to that next level and I'll put the work in. People might not see it, but I put a lot of work in myself to just be the best version of me. Whether it's on the training pitch or whether it's on a Zoom call last night for three hours, that's me.
"We just go through everything. How I'm feeling, where we can improve, my breath work and stuff. There's loads. Day-to-day life as well. So there's loads.
"I'm open to it because I want to be the best version of me. I've worked with this coach for over a year now. The first chapter was to gear up for the World Cup and be the best version of me. Pushing through now, it's the next chapter.
"I find it really useful. We just spoke about criticism and I can only vouch for myself, and it works for me. It might not work for others, but I'm open to talk about it. And that's just me because I want to improve."
