James Trafford has warned Jordan Pickford that he wants to become England's No.1. The Everton goalkeeper was left out of the Three Lions' opening two Nations League matches against Spain and the Czech Republic last month as Trafford was given the nod.
Pickford was restored to his side's starting line-up for the games against Croatia and the return leg against the Czech Republic, but he is now facing serious competition for the first time in eight years. Trafford admits that while it is nothing personal against the Blues star, he wants his spot in Tuchel's side.
Trafford's ambition
"It's obviously a goal of mine to be England's No1," he told The Times. "My dream's always been to play for England and it's something you work towards every day.
"I've always dreamt of playing for England and then the older you get, maybe when I was 17 or 18, you start believing, 'Oh bloody hell, I actually could do it. I could actually play here for England.'
"Everyone's been in the game long enough to know that you train as hard as you can and it's the manager who picks the team. It's nothing on each other. We're all men, we just try to perform as well as we can to ultimately try to start the game, because everyone wants to play."
Pickford's response
Before he added: "If someone asks, 'Would you like to get 100 caps or not?' You'd obviously say yes, so yeah, if I got to a million caps, you'd be happy.
"Just to think about getting 100 caps, bloody hell, I'd be old. All I'm thinking about is just today and then the next day and then the next day, because the moment you start thinking ahead, you're in a world of bother."
Pickford's stint on the bench was unusual for him, having been England's first-choice goalkeeper since before the 2018 World Cup. But he took the situation in his stride, and admitted ahead of his side's 7-0 victory over Croatia: "I'm 32 now, you see keepers playing still at 40, still playing at the highest level. It's about me focusing on myself; I set myself my own goals.
"I want to push boundaries and keep improving and keep going to be the best version of myself. I'll never stop until I stop. I'm not slowing down, I think I'm only getting better."
Before he added: "It is not often I do that (sit on the bench). The manager told me the reasons why. It was good for me to see where I'm at.
"It's about me being a good team-mate with good energy around the place and train well and have that leadership role.
"I think I've done it really well over the last two games. It's not normal for me, but first and foremost, the manager asks to be the best team-mate.
"I love playing but if I'm watching, I just want the best for England and that's to win and I think I dealt with it really well. It was different, but we have also been together in a cycle now for two years.
"Trafford started really well for Leeds. It's been a good unit around us for the last two years. That's what the manager said and you have to respect that decision."
