England manager Gareth Southgate has opted for Nick Pope as his starting goalkeeper for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Poland.
The Burnley keeper started Thursday’s 5-0 win over San Marino at Wembley and in the absence of the injured Jordan Pickford has been given the number one shirt for Sunday’s match in Tirana and the Wembley encounter with the Poles on Wednesday.
Pope was one of the two back-ups to Pickford at the 2018 World Cup, but despite his excellent form in the Premier League and Pickford having some difficult spells, has been restricted to just five appearances for his country.
“He has been really patient for his opportunity and has performed consistently at a high level every week for his club and has been with us for a very long time waiting for this moment,” said Southgate, confirming the 28-year-old’s starting role. Pope had little to do against San Marino but will hope he can now make a strong case to keep the first choice spot.
“He is a very calm character and I really like his personality,” said Southgate.
“We obviously knew he was not going to be overworked (against San Marino) but I am sure that will be different in the next games,” he added.
Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw is another player looking to make the most of his opportunity to shine ahead of June’s European Championship.
Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell started against San Marino but Shaw, who has not played for England since 2018 but has been in strong form with United, could start against Albania.
“There has never been any doubt in our mind of his quality. He has obviously suffered from injuries but it has been great to see him playing on the front foot as a full-back, both with and without the ball,” said Southgate.
“He looks physically like he is in good condition to be able to drive forward. He has excellent quality with the ball. It is a good moment for him.”
Southgate also said midfielder Jordan Henderson faces a race against time to be fit for this year’s European Championship as the Liverpool captain continues his recovery from a groin injury.
Henderson underwent groin surgery last month after picking up the injury in Liverpool’s 2-0 Premier League defeat by Merseyside rivals Everton on Feb. 20 and was expected to be sidelined for at least five weeks.
But the 30-year-old could be out for much longer, casting doubt over his availability for the Euros which are scheduled to begin in June.
“We know it’s going to be close to the end of the season and we will just have to see how it goes,” Southgate said.
“We are conscious that with any injury of that nature, there is a guide and a time defined — but that anything can happen along the way.
“In terms of promises, we can only say that Hendo himself is very optimistic about how the operation went and the prognosis that the specialist has given him as to what is possible.
“We also know he is likely to be a bit short of match minutes in high-level games. There are a lot of things to take into consideration but, at the moment, that is a decision that is a few weeks away.”
Henderson has 58 caps for England and was a key member of Southgate’s side that reached the 2018 World Cup semi-finals.
England’s Nick Pope.
