Earlier today, it was confirmed that Aaron Ramsdale would miss the Premier League clash between Arsenal and Aston Villa with a hip injury.
The £30m man sustained the problem during Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool, and according to The Athletic, he is likely to sit out of international duty with England.
Nobody likes to see a footballer pick up injuries, although secretly, we have a feeling Everton glovesman Jordan Pickford will be fairly pleased.
What’s the story?
Well, Gareth Southgate confirmed that he’d be giving others a chance to impress when explaining why he left Kyle Walker out of the squad.
In that respect, you would presume that Ramsdale was due to play one of the two friendlies against Switzerland and the Ivory Coast, with Pickford playing in the other.
In our view, the Toffees shot-stopper will be somewhat relived to see his goalkeeping rival drop out of the squad.
After all, it’s a tense time for Pickford.
Ramsdale is starring for the Gunners towards the top of the Premier League, whereas the ex-Sunderland man has conceded 44 goals in 25 league games this season as Everton battle relegation.
Naturally, many people feel that Ramsdale should become England’s new No.1 if this continues.
Everton & Jordan Pickford vs Arsenal & Aaron Ramsdale
There aren’t many international breaks until the World Cup in November, so Ramsdale is missing a golden chance to impress Southgate.
The 23-year-old only has one cap for England, whereas Pickford has amassed 42, manning the sticks at a World Cup and also at EURO 2020.
As a result, Ramsdale needs to play as many games for the Three Lions as he can if he wants to be No.1 for the World Cup in Qatar.
Unfortunately, that has already hit a roadblock following his hip injury which, for purely selfish reasons, Pickford might be pleased about as his chances of being England’s No.1 for another World Cup are boosted.
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