England interim boss Lee Carsley has explained why he chose to drop goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in favour of Dean Henderson for the Nations League encounter with Finland on Sunday. Pickford was England’s regular No. 1 under Gareth Southgate and has been his country’s starting goalkeeper at the last four major tournaments.
The Everton shot-stopper started Carsley’s first three games at the helm but produced a shaky performance against Greece on Thursday evening as the Three Lions suffered a shock 2-1 defeat.
However, Carsley has insisted it was always his intention to give Crystal Palace keeper Henderson a game over the international break.
“We are looking for a reaction, we fell below the levels we expect [against Greece],” Carsley told ITV ahead of kick-off. “There was a case of getting a look at a few other players and we were always going to look at Dean Henderson in one of these games.”
Pickford made his England debut during a friendly against Germany in November 2017 and kept a clean sheet as the match ended in a 0-0 draw.
He has gone on to win 70 caps for his country but is under pressure to keep his place in the team, with the likes of Henderson, Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale all in the frame to take the No. 1 spot off him.
Pickford’s claims for the starting jersey haven’t been helped by Everton’s start to the season, with the Toffees conceding 15 goals in their opening seven Premier League matches.
And it remains to be seen whether the 30-year-old returns to the starting line-up when England next take to the pitch against the Republic of Ireland next month.
Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane was asked on ITV about Henderson’s inclusion ahead of kick-off in Helsinki. And the 53-year-old explained: “He’s got to take his opportunity. He won’t face too many shots.
“He’s obviously a confident lad, I’ve heard that before. I’ve always felt he looks small in the goal but he’s got an opportunity and let’s see if he can take it.
Meanwhile ex-Arsenal striker Ian Wright, who bagged nine goals in 33 games for England, said of Henderson: “Maybe his biggest problem will be his concentration so if he gets that sorted and makes a couple of good saves…
“He’s done well enough to get the opportunity going to Palace. He’s settled now at Palace so hopefully you know he can continue to progress in his career.”
