England won’t go far wrong if Butland is No 1 in Russia

IT has been hard going for Jack Butland this past week. We were all gutted to lose at the death against Burnley on Tuesday night, but Jack was particularly frustrated, as he deserved a clean sheet. He has been our standout performer and the form Jack has been showing has made my mind even clearer that there will be a point in the near future when he becomes England’s No 1. He is world class and has everything a keeper needs, from his size to his athleticism, while he is also good with his feet. The focus is on him a little more now, given the difficult time Joe Hart is experiencing at West Ham, but I don’t think Joe losing his place will have changed Jack’s attitude with regards to starting England’s next friendly in March. There certainly won’t be any complacency. Jack (above) is very focused and is the kind of character who takes everything in his stride. He has never made any secret about wanting to take over the gloves from Joe in the future and if that was to happen in Russia next summer, we wouldn’t go far wrong. If he can stay fit for the rest of the season, he will be right in England manager Gareth Southgate’s thoughts, although I can’t talk about Jack without mentioning Stoke’s other goalkeeper, Lee Grant. He’s so unlucky. Whenever Lee comes in, he always does well. He would be a good No 1 for anyone in the Premier League.