After guiding England to only their fourth World Cup semi-final this summer, Pickford remains the first-choice goalkeeper.
When Thomas Tuchel took over as England manager in 2024, he praised both Trafford and Henderson.
Trafford earned his first cap in March’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay, but Pickford played every World Cup minute until the France match, which Henderson started.
That run moved him past Peter Shilton’s England record of 17 World Cup appearances, finishing the tournament with 19.
After England’s last-16 win over Mexico, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson said Pickford should be the first name on the teamsheet, with no real alternative.
Pickford has played 14 times at European Championships and saved four of 14 penalties in major shoot-outs, helping England defeat Colombia at the 2018 World Cup and Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
The former Sunderland keeper has been a model of consistency across nine seasons with Everton, winning the club’s player-of-the-season award three years running while they battled relegation from 2021 to 2024.
Now 32, he has made 362 Premier League appearances, kept 98 clean sheets, and saved nearly 70% of the shots he has faced — including 86% from outside the area.
Across the past two seasons, only Arsenal‘s David Raya has recorded more Premier League clean sheets.
He also collected the league’s save-of-the-season award for a second time last season for a brilliant reflex stop, external from Sandro Tonali’s volley that sealed Everton‘s 3-2 win at St James’ Park in February.