Former Premier League goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has said that Everton stopper Jordan Pickford is not "quite ready to be England's number one".
England boss Gareth Southgate revealed that "the number one jersey is up for grabs" after naming Pickford, Joe Hart, Jack Butland and Nick Pope in his squad for the upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and Italy.
Pickford has been tipped to start the 2018 World Cup as England's number one, but Schwarzer, who played in two World Cups for Australia, has questioned whether the 24-year-old is ready to feature in Russia.
"He's still a very inexperienced goalkeeper. He's still very young and got so much to learn," Schwarzer told Sky Sports News. "To be fair he's had a baptism of fire at both Sunderland and Everton.
"He was cannon fodder at Sunderland and to a certain extent he's been the same at Everton this season. Naturally, he's going to stand out because of the sheer number of shots on goal he's had to deal with.
"Personally, I don't think he's quite ready to be England's number one. Butland has more experience in the Premier League but it really depends on how they perform now under the pressure of playing for England."
England will travel to the Netherlands on Friday before hosting Italy next Tuesday.
Matt Law
