Two England players set for job share as Thomas Tuchel weighs up options for key position

Thomas Tuchel has revealed he could again split goalkeeping responsibilities between Jordan Pickford and James Trafford. The Three Lions have a Nations League double header this week – as they host Croatia on Thursday night before travelling to face Spain on Sunday, with both games live on talkSPORT. With two games in the space of three days, Tuchel could well look to rotate his 25-man squad to keep legs fresh. And while England’s No.1 shirt has been largely undisputed since Pickford entered the fold in 2017, the last international break saw he and Trafford share the minutes. In England’s extended four-match camp, Tuchel gave the two goalkeepers two games each , and Leeds stopper Trafford has been tipped to continue to stake his claim for a starting berth. Pickford’s position has come in for scrutiny in recent months, with questions being raised over some goals he conceded at the World Cup. Tuchel: Pickford still No.1 While Trafford ‘s increased game time for England recently has only fed speculation over a potential changing of the guard in goal, Tuchel has insisted that Pickford remains first-choice for now. However, the England boss admitted he would be tempted to once again give both goalkeepers equal minutes over the coming week. Tuchel told reporters: “Pickford is number one, but nothing has changed. “The competition is on there as well, like for the outfield players. They shared the matches last time. I’m not sure what we will do. There’s an opportunity that we maybe do this again. I have to speak with our goalkeeper coach.” Tuchel also insisted the Nations League is an ideal opportunity to look at his goalkeeping options, as opposed to international tournaments. He continued: “When do I have a chance to see another goalkeeper, if not in Nations League? If not in high pressure matches? “So we had James against Spain [a 3-2 defeat]. Because what happens if Jordan Pickford is injured? What happens if he’s not available? So it’s better to test it. “Jordan knows about this, that we want to use Nations League for exactly that. “But at the moment, nothing has changed. At the moment, he’s the number one. And he just feels a bit of competition. Which is good for him.” Should Trafford succeed Pickford as No.1, it would mark the end of an era for one of England’s most reliable players of the last decade. Since making his debut in 2017, Pickford has earned 93 Three Lions caps, playing a major role in runs to back-to-back European Championship finals and two World Cup semi-finals. And despite now facing more pressure on his spot, Tuchel insists the Everton stopper was ‘surprisingly’ understanding about sharing keeper duties in the Nations League last time. The German coach said: “I was very impressed and a bit surprised by his reaction when we spoke to him. “I thought he’d be less of a fan than he proved to be. Because he said he totally understands it. He impressed me a lot last time. We spoke to him, it was a very short conversation. It was very positive. “He said ‘yeah, let’s do this, Traff deserves it, and I will push him’. And he didn’t change at all. If he changed, he changed even to the positive, he pushed Traff, he gave him a good feeling. So very impressive, he did it very well.” Trafford has earned four senior England caps since making his debut in March, but his recent club form has pushed himself into contention. After becoming Leeds’ record signin g in the summer following his departure from Manchester City, the 24-year-old has kept five Premier League clean sheet in ten games. His impressive form has helped the Whites make a solid start to the season – they currently sit ninth in the table after a home win over Tottenham on Saturday.