Pickford to start as England No.1 – report

Ian Watson

England boss Gareth Southgate has reportedly decided to make Jordan Pickford his No.1 for the World Cup.

The Three Lions coach has suggested he knows who he would want his goalkeeper to be if they played tomorrow, and The Mirror claims Everton keeper Pickford will get the nod.

The former Sunderland stopper and Jack Butland shared the gloves for the friendlies against Holland and Italy over the last week, and it is claimed that Pickford’s distribution qualities give him the edge over his Stoke counterpart.

Unless the 24-year-old suffers a major dip in form between now and the end of the season, then it seems it is he who will be handed the gloves for the opener in Russia.

Southgate has also revealed he will announce the identity of his starting goalkeeper and his captain when he names his final squad before the next friendlies against Nigeria and Costa Rica.

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