England's goalkeeper options - ranked

There's a famous old Nike advert which features Paolo Maldini and the tagline 'Italy's goalkeeper - easiest job in Europe'.

Unfortunately for England, they don't have Maldini marshalling the defence, so it matters greatly who they have between the sticks.

The race is on to secure that number one shirt for the 2024 European Championship, but who are Gareth Southgate's front-runners for next summer's tournament?

Here's 90min's ranking of England's goalkeeping options.

8. Jason Steele

Steele was a surprise revelation for Brighton during 2022/23, replacing Robert Sanchez partway through the campaign.

The former England Under-21 goalkeeper impressed under Roberto De Zerbi, but has had to share his minutes this term following Bart Verbruggen's arrival on the south coast.

He'd be a rogue pick for Southgate but certainly doesn't mind playing out from the back.

7. James Trafford

While Euro 2024 will almost certainly come too early for Trafford, he is definitely someone to keep a close eye on moving forward.

Despite his recent benching, Trafford has gained plenty of valuable experience during his debut Premier League season with Burnley. He was the hero of England's Under-21s triumph at the European Championship in the summer of 2023, saving a stoppage-time penalty against Spain in the final.

Trafford is also getting plenty of experience playing out from the back with Vincent Kompany as his head coach, which bodes well for the future.

6. Dean Henderson

Having made the permanent switch to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2023, Henderson hasn't enjoyed a great start to life in London.

A serious thigh injury restricted his game time upon arrival at Selhurst Park and he's had to compete with Sam Johnstone for minutes this season. The latter's recent injury has given him a route back into the first team, but he may be cutting it fine to make the plane for Germany.

One international cap may not be enough credit in the bank when it comes to selection time.

5. Aaron Ramsdale

Rewind to the beginning of 2023 and Aaron Ramsdale would have been a guaranteed pick for England at Euro 2024.

But with a couple of howling mistakes mixed in with David Raya's arrival at Arsenal, things are not quite so clear cut now that he's become second-choice at the Emirates.

Ramsdale has previous call-ups from Southgate to fall back on and the England boss tends to favour certain individuals. The Arsenal goalkeeper may be one of those, especially given his confidence with the ball at his feet.

4. Nick Pope

If you're looking for a goalkeeper who is great with his hands and adept at keeping the ball out of the back of his net, then Nick Pope is your man.

The former Burnley man has been in brilliant form ever since he arrived at Newcastle United, but has been missing since undergoing shoulder surgery back in December.

The stopper should be fit for the Euros but a lack of game time and Southgate's preference for playing out from the back puts Pope's selection in jeopardy.

3. Jack Butland

Pope and Ramsdale may be superior goalkeepers, but one is recovering from shoulder surgery and the other has been usurped as their club's number one.

Butland was once regarded as England's answer between the sticks and made nine caps for his country. However, for a while, his club career faded into obscurity and he's rarely been considered by Southgate.

A move to Rangers has thrust Butland back into the picture. He's kept over 20 clean sheets in Scotland this season, and many were left aghast by his exclusion from the squad for England's friendlies in March.

Butland surely has to be considered for Euro 2024.

2. Sam Johnstone

Johnstone is aiming to make it to back-to-back Euros squads having enjoyed a resurgent campaign with Crystal Palace.

The 30-year-old has four England caps to his name and has been a regular inclusion in recent squads. Johnstone missed a small chunk of the season with a calf injury, but he reclaimed a starting berth before the March international break.

1. Jordan Pickford

Pickford remains a divisive figure among England supporters, with the Everton goalkeeper having long been criticised for his proneness to gaffes. Juggling the ball off the bar in the 96th minute of the Merseyside derby to gift Divock Origi an open goal springs to mind.

However, Pickford has largely eradicated his error-strewn performances at club level and become far more consistent for the Toffees.

The former Sunderland goalkeeper has always been preferred as Southgate's first-choice goalkeeper and the England boss has never budged on that decision. That's probably because Pickford has always been flawless for the Three Lions, seldom putting a foot wrong on the international stage.

Not only is he guaranteed a spot on the plane, he's guaranteed a spot in the starting lineup.

READ MORE ON ENGLAND'S SQUAD OPTIONS AHEAD OF EURO 2024