Jordan Pickford says competition from James Trafford can help him improve as he continues to compete for the England goalkeeper position.
Pickford has been England’s first-choice goalkeeper since the 2018 World Cup, but Trafford has started both of the Three Lions’ Nations League matches during this international break.
The Burnley goalkeeper became the first England player in his position other than Pickford to start consecutive matches since Nick Pope in September 2022. However, Pickford could return to the side when England face Croatia on Saturday.
The Everton goalkeeper, who is 32, said the emergence of Trafford and other goalkeepers was positive for England and insisted he had no plans to retire in the immediate future.
“I feel for me personally it’s always good to have good competition, I’ve always said in interviews I’ve always wanted that competition,” Pickford said.
“We have a good crop of goalkeepers coming through and it’s a credit to England to have that and may it continue for longer.
“I’ll always push myself at the club to be the best version of me and keep getting those caps. You can’t let your foot off the gas at any time you want to push yourself to be who you want to be.
“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.”
England are seeking to extend an impressive away record in all competitions, having won their past eight matches on the road.
Victory over Croatia would give Thomas Tuchel’s side a ninth consecutive away win, matching England’s record run between December 1965 and October 1967 under Sir Alf Ramsey.
Croatia have not beaten England in any of their four meetings since their 2018 World Cup semi-final victory. They have drawn one and lost three of those matches.
Pickford played in the defeat in Russia but said England could not depend on their recent record against Croatia.
“I think it’s always a good competitive match, we know we lost in the 2018 World Cup against them,” he added.
“But we are looking past recent history and we have always played well against them. You’re always going to be against good competition at pot one in the Nations League; it’s about being the best version of us.”