LAMBO: MY BATTLE TO KEEP BUTLAND

PAUL LAMBERT has accepted that Stoke City face a tough fight to hold on to World Cup-bound Jack Butland this summer.

Butland has been battling with Everton’s Jordan Pickford to be England’s No.1 for Russia and played in the Three Lions’ 1-1 draw against Italy on Tuesday.

Stoke boss Lambert admits the attention on the £50millionrated keeper (below) will ramp up if he has a good World Cup. And, if the Potters go down, he is resigned to losing him. “Regardless of what team you play for in what league, if you’re a good player, everybody will be looking at you. That’s normal,” said Lambert. “He has got a massive career ahead of him and the World Cup is the biggest tournament. If you have a good World Cup, you have the eyes of the world on you, but I would rather him play brilliantly for us and brilliantly for the national team rather than him not doing well for Stoke and England.”

Sources say Pickford will get the nod for Russia, but Lambert feels Butland should be first choice.

“I do, yes. If you said to me Butland was going to start and asked me if I had a problem with that, no I wouldn’t,” he said.