JORDAN PICKFORD has clung on to England’s No.1 jersey without breaking sweat for seven years.
But manager Thomas Tuchel — who officially took over on New Year’s Day — warned that reputations are out the window in the build-up to next year’s World Cup.
And that put 75-cap star Pickford, 31, on notice that he now faces a battle to keep his spot.
That is despite claiming the Everton ace is back to his best after the return of boss David Moyes to the Toffees.
Dean Henderson, fresh from helping Crystal Palace to their historic FA Cup win last month, has just two England caps but will now provide some stiff competition over the next 12 months.
There are high hopes for Burnley youngster James Trafford, who has also spent the week at the Three Lions’ training camp in Girona.
Southampton veteran Aaron Ramsdale — although not selected for this squad — is liked by Tuchel.
But the 27-year-old needs to find a top-flight club in England or elsewhere following Saints’ relegation.
At Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium on Saturday, the player in goal for Tuchel will be able to enjoy the sun without having to break sweat.
But the German is expecting some fierce competition between the sticks, which was not the case under former manager Gareth Southgate.
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Tuchel said: “It will always be a fight for every position and there is no exception for the goalkeepers.
“At the moment, Jordan is in a good place mentally and performance-wise.
“It helped him to stabilise himself at Everton with the change of manager with David Moyes.
“He became very, very stable and also emotionally stable and we’re very happy with that.
“Jordan has been in goal for a long, long time and he earned his place with consistent performances at a high level in international football.
“All three of our goalkeepers are not involved in European football. They’re not used to European football, which would be ideal. It’s not a problem, though.
“Jordan behaves and trains at the highest level and we’re very, very happy with him.
“He’s doing everything at the moment to keep his place because he feels Dean stepped up and found another level, another gear.
“Dean got a big title with his club and was a key figure in the campaign, so that helped his confidence a lot.”
And then there is 22-year-old Trafford, who kept 29 clean sheets in 45 matches as Burnley won promotion back to the Premier League.
Tuchel added: “James had a long, long break after his fantastic season with Burnley.
“He hasn’t been on the pitch for four weeks, he finished the season the earliest. That’s a little bit of a disadvantage for him, it’s not his fault but he is pushing strongly.
“That’s what we expect from him and he is at the moment a competitor for Dean Henderson and Jordan Pickford.
“Hopefully, he can prove himself next season and then the race is on.”
It is not ideal that England, who won their opening World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia in March, are in such a weak group.
Andorra will be no trouble but the qualifier away to Serbia in September is a decent test, while there is also a Wembley friendly with Wales the following month.
This week has seen Tuchel test his players on how they deal with the heat as the conditions will be baking-hot at the World Cup next year in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
And he is trying to work out how his players can be at peak fitness, because he admits the squad were in their best shape during the mid-season 2022 World Cup.
Tuchel said: “The majority of our players play in the toughest league in the world and they are used to a kind of rhythm that is very unique.
“The tournaments are normally played after a long season and it is not maybe an advantage for us but it is just a fact. It is maybe not a coincidence players felt the most comfortable in the Qatar World Cup.
“Suddenly, the demands of the Premier League became an advantage because they were in the middle of it and felt they had an advantage over other players.
“It can be that at some point we need to adjust our style of play when it comes to tournament football and when it comes to knockout football.
“Everyone wants to win. Everyone wants to win in style. Can you really play the same game in 40C heat and humidity that you play in 20C in an evening match?
“So, these are some questions I don’t have all the answers to and I don’t have to right now, because we still have one year to go but we are on it to answer them.”
SOLAR panels will be slapped on almost every new build home in England under sweeping green rules due this year.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband called it “just common sense” and claimed it would save families £500 a year.
New regulations will force developers to fit panels unless buildings are in deep shade or another rare exemption applies.
The Home Builders Federation said it backed fitting more panels but cautioned against introducing “burdensome” paperwork which it said could harm government efforts to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029.
The crackdown will be part of the Future Homes Standard, due to be published this autumn with a transition period for builders to adjust.
It goes further than a Tory plan, which let firms off the hook entirely if they couldn’t meet the 40 per cent rooftop coverage target.
The announcement comes days after Labour scrapped planning rules to make installing heat pumps easier as part of its push to hit net zero by 2050.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has slammed the target as “impossible” without “a serious drop in our living standards or by bankrupting us”, while Reform UK want it ditched altogether, warning it’s pushing up energy bills for working families.
MANCHESTER UNITED are ready to win the race for Viktor Gyokeres.
The Red Devils recently revealed total operating expenses have dropped by £41.6million to £162.1m in the latest quarterly club accounts after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s brutal cost cutting.
That is despite the cash spent on the Glazers’ debt spiralling to a staggering £1.2BILLION.
United’s gradual U-turn in club finances means they are ready to pip Arsenal to land Sporting Lisbon striker Gyokeres.
The Gunners are keen on the former Coventry hitman, 27, but are also chasing RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.
Sweden striker Gyokeres, who scored 54 goals in 52 games for Sporting last season, has an £85m release clause.
But it is understood that the Portuguese side would accept a fee closer to £60m this summer.
United boss Ruben Amorim is now ready to raid his former club after the boost in their accounts.
Yet the Glazers’ debt still casts a long shadow over the fallen giants, whose wage bill was down a huge £20m to £71.2m compared with a year ago.
United have now spent an astonishing £1.2bn on the debt in 20 years of the Americans’ ownership.
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According to the BBC, £815m in debt interest repayments; £166m in dividends to shareholders; £197m in external net debt repayments and £10m in management and administration fees to the Glazer family companies has left the club since the Glazers bought it in June 2005.
Meanwhile, chief executive Omar Berrada warned United must improve after a humiliating season in which they finished 15th in the Premier League and lost the Europa League final against Tottenham.
He said: “We were proud to reach the final of the Europa League but ultimately were disappointed to finish as runner-up in Bilbao.
“We had a difficult season in the Premier League, which fell below our standards, and we have a clear expectation of improvement next season.”
United have already agreed to pay £62.5m to land forward Matheus Cunha from Wolves.
And they are chasing a £55m deal for Brentford ace Bryan Mbeumo as they attempt to stay within the Prem’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.
But Amorim will also need to offload a clutch of big-name players from a group including Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Casemiro.
BUKAYO SAKA is struggling with an injury he picked up on the final day of the season for Arsenal.
The winger could miss the World Cup qualifier against Andorra as he has only trained the last two days.
Saka returned at the end of the season after missing three months with a hamstring problem.
Tuchel said: “Until that latest injury he was more or less always available, always playable every three days.
“He had this consistency in his game and in his body, which made him very unique.
“He was decisive for England, he took responsibility, he bounced back after a decisive and dramatic penalty miss (Euro 2020 final).
“It’s nice to see that he’s back because he wanted to be back, and you straight away see when he comes in, he is comfortable to be with the squad.
“He knows what it takes to be a national player.
“He came into camp with a little bit of discomfort from the last match against Southampton, so we took care of him and treated him individually.
“It was the first training session that he started and finished with the group today. Yesterday, he started with the group but did not finish with the group, so let’s see.
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“I’m not sure if we take the risk for this game.
“The decision has not been taken, but he will be available for the Senegal match, and he plays a major role in our thoughts on how to build a competitive team.”
In addition, Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins will play no part against Andorra or Senegal on Tuesday in Nottingham.
The striker withdrew from Tuchel’s party as a precaution because of what the FA described as a “minor” issue.
Tuchel said: “Ollie Watkins has a discomfort in his upper thigh or groin area in the muscle and we decided not to take any risks.
“He will go home to continue treatment and we will not take any risks in case he gets an injury. It’s very minor.”
Watkins was the top-scoring Englishman in the Premier League last season with 16 goals, one ahead of Chelsea‘s Cole Palmer.
The Villa star scored the dramatic late winner in last summer’s European Championship semi-final against Holland.
Watkins’ withdrawal leaves Tuchel with captain Harry Kane and Saudi-based Ivan Toney as his two centre forwards.
England do not intend to bring in a replacement and so will have 25 players for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Andorra and Tuesday’s home friendly against Senegal.
KASEY McAteer’s dream full debut lit up the Aviva as the Republic of Ireland held African giants Senegal to a lively 1-1 draw in Dublin.
The Leicester City winger capped his first start with a well-taken goal midway through the first half.
While McAteer was the standout performer, there were solid showings throughout the side as Ireland matched one of the world’s in-form teams for much of the contest.
Caoimhín Kelleher, fresh off sealing a move to Brentford, impressed once again between the posts and had little chance with Ismaila Sarr’s late equaliser.
The match had bite, energy, and tension with Ireland’s defence holding firm until the closing stages.
Though there was frustration in conceding late, but the performance provided plenty of positives ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Luxembourg.
Here’s how the Boys in Green rated.
CAOIMHÍN KELLEHER 7
HAD a big week as he sorted his club future by joining Brentford and showed why he is now Ireland’s No. 1 when called upon to make a fingertip save to turn Krepin Diatta’s header onto the bar. Unlucky for the goal.
MATT DOHERTY 7
THE 33-year-old does not bomb up the wing as he used to but uses the ball brilliantly and was rock solid in defence whenever Senegal looked to attack down Ireland’s right flank.
NATHAN COLLINS 7
IT was a different game for Collins in green as he was rarely tested defensively. Had a hand in Kasey McAteer’s goal while his passing range was superb and had the Boys in Green on the front foot.
DARA O’SHEA 6
HAS Premier League and Serie A interest following Ipswich’s relegation. Showed his worth with some big passes out from the back but failed to cut out Iliman Ndiaye’s cross that led to Senegal’s equaliser.
ROBBIE BRADY 7
DISCIPLINED performance against the tricky Abdallah Sima but still got up the flank when required and worked well with Ryan Manning. Lovely cross that led to Kasey McAteer’s goal too.
WILL SMALLBONE 7
FIRST time back in the Ireland set-up since September due to injury. He provided some nice moments of creativity in midfield as well .as being a shooting threat from distance as he could have got a goal.
JASON KNIGHT 6
FILLED the Josh Cullen role rarely straying from his role in front of the back four as the rest of the midfield pushed on. Made some important interceptions.
KASEY McATEER 8
FIRST start and first goal for McAteer who was a livewire throughout. His namesake Jason had some big World Cup moments for Ireland and Kasey could be a key man if Ireland reach next year’s finals.
JACK TAYLOR 6
GOT his first start in an attacking midfield role and linked well with Kasey McAteer in particular. Had one early half chance that he almost got his head on one of his crosses but faded before being replaced.
RYAN MANNING 6
WORKED the left flank well and beat his man at times but was frustrated as his crosses were often cut out by the first defender. But looks to have nailed down a regular spot in Heimir Hallgrímsson’s rotation.
ADAM IDAH 6
SCORED the winner off the bench against Bulgaria and rewarded with his first Ireland start since September. Frustrating night for the Celtic man who needed better service from his wingers.
SUBS
EVAN FERGUSON (for Taylor 58 minutes) 6
KILLIAN PHILLIPS (for Doherty 67 mins) 6
JAKE O’BRIEN (for Manning 67 mins) 6
FESTY EBOSELE (for McAteer 81 mins) 6
ANDREW MORAN (for Smallbone 81 mins) 6
LIAM SCALES (for Brady 85 mins) 6
