Tuchel: Pickford remains England's number one despite Trafford's rise

England head coach Thomas Tuchel has stressed that Jordan Pickford remains the side's first-choice goalkeeper, despite James Trafford's impressive emergence in recent months.

Both goalkeepers have been included in the squad for England's crucial matches against Croatia and Spain, with the team needing just one point to reach the Nations League quarter-finals.

During the previous international break, the two goalkeepers each started two matches. Trafford played in the 3-2 defeat to Spain and the 2-0 win over Czechia, while Pickford kept goal in the 7-0 victory over Croatia and the other win against Czechia, which finished 3-0.

Both players have caught the eye with their performances in the Premier League this season. Trafford, who left Manchester City to sign for Leeds United, has drawn attention by earning regular playing time.

Among goalkeepers who have played every minute of every league match, only David Raya (5) and Bart Verbruggen (7) have conceded fewer than the 8 goals Trafford has let in. Pickford, meanwhile, shares fourth place (10 goals) with Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson.

Trafford ranks near the top of the league with 37 saves and leads the way with a save percentage of 82.2%. No other goalkeeper in the Premier League has gone beyond the 80 per cent mark, while Pickford sits sixth with 73.7% (28 saves).

Trafford also leads the expected goals on target (xGoT) figures: having conceded 8 goals against an xGoT value of 12.4, he has let in 4.4 fewer goals than expected. On the same measure, Pickford has prevented 1.1 goals (10 conceded, 11.1 xGoT).

On the other hand, Pickford has not made a single error leading directly to a goal in the Premier League this season, and only one error leading to a shot. Trafford, by contrast, has made one error leading to a goal and two leading to shots.

Pickford, who has won 93 England caps to become the second most-capped goalkeeper in the national team's history behind Peter Shilton, continues to hold Tuchel's trust.

That said, the German head coach is aware of the importance of giving Trafford opportunities in demanding matches, and has signalled that the two goalkeepers may share game time again this month.

Speaking on the subject, Tuchel said: "The situation is a bit different for goalkeepers compared with outfield players, but if I'm not going to try another goalkeeper in the Nations League or in high-pressure matches, then when will I?"

"We played Trafford against Spain and asked ourselves, 'Is it fair to throw him straight in against Spain?' But I think that was exactly what we needed. Because what happens if Jordan Pickford gets injured or can't play? It's best to test that in advance. Jordan is aware of that too; he knows we want to use the Nations League for exactly that purpose."

"But nothing has changed at the moment. Jordan is still the number one, and the competition he feels behind him is very good for him as well."

Asked about Trafford's development this season, Tuchel added: "He's now starting regularly, which is what we wanted. He did a very good job the last time they shared the matches. We haven't fully decided yet how we will split it this time, but we are very happy with the level of competition."