Burnley keeper Pope could add to England caps over international break

England coach Gareth Southgate has explained he will be using more than one goalkeeper during the two friendly games at Wembley against Switzerland and Ivory Coast.
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And that means Burnley’s Nick Pope could add to his seven caps for his country, having been recalled to the squad after missing out on the last two selections.

Pope played three-successive games last March for the Three Lions, all in World Cup qualifying, as England beat San Marino 5-0 at home, won 2-0 in Albania, and then saw off Poland 2-1 at Wembley – Pope conceding his only goal to Brightons Jakub Moder.

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England are preparing for the World Cup in Qatar, which starts in November, and with only three camps between now and then, time is of the essence as Pope looks to travel to a second-successive Finals, after being in the squad as Southgate’s side reached the semi-finals in Russia in 2018.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 25: Nick Pope of England looks on during the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar qualifying match between England and San Marino at Wembley Stadium on March 25, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors.  (Photo by Carl Recine - Pool/Getty Images)LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 25: Nick Pope of England looks on during the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar qualifying match between England and San Marino at Wembley Stadium on March 25, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors.  (Photo by Carl Recine - Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 25: Nick Pope of England looks on during the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar qualifying match between England and San Marino at Wembley Stadium on March 25, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Carl Recine - Pool/Getty Images)

First up are friendlies against Switzerland – who England last met in June 2019 in the Nations League third-place play-off, the Three Lions prevailing on penalties after a goal-less draw – before a first international meeting with Ivory Coast, with Maxwel Cornet expected to feature the the Elephants.

Southgate has established number one Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale and Pope to utilise, with Ramsdale pushing Pickford hard for the jersey after an impressive first season with Arsenal, although he was at fault for Liverpool’s opener in their 2-0 win at the Emirates on Wednesday night.

And Southgate explained of the battle: "We do want competition for places, there's no doubt about that, it's healthy for everybody.

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"Aaron is having a good season with Arsenal, the interesting part if going to be no goalkeeper or defender is going to come through a full season faultlessly, and how do you deal with those little setbacks along the way?

"But it's good for us to have competition, we will play more than one goalkeeper across this camp, that was always our plan.

"Nick Pope, back in, has been performing well for Burnley as well,

"That is a good contest to have that drives each individual.”