Shearer says: “It’s so exciting to see the young talent in this England side.”

Three Lions legend shares his latest thoughts

Jordan Pickford – goalkeeper for Premier League club Everton

Jordan Pickford had a very good summer with England and that has given him plenty of credit in the bank, but he probably is starting to use some of that up now, as he has not had the best of seasons.

He has made too many mistakes, most notably against Liverpool and then Newcastle recently.

However, it’s in his favour that the number one spot is the position that we have the least amount of depth in, and for that reason I think that he will keep his place for the upcoming Euro qualifiers.

Tom Heaton was doing well for Burnley but has dropped off in the last couple of games, and there’s nobody else coming in and really making a strong case for replacing Pickford.

The truth is we don’t have a world class goalkeeper at the moment.  Angus Gunn is one with a growing reputation, but he hasn’t played a lot of first team football at Southampton over the last year, but there isn’t the strength in depth that England have in other positions right now.

I was fortunate to play in an England side with David Seaman who was a very, very good keeper. He was phenomenal, he had such a great presence about him and he made us a much stronger team.

I’m not sure we have had one as good as him since he retired and the current goalkeeping situation means Pickford will keep the shirt at the moment.

England’s young stars

It’s so exciting to see the young talent that this England side possesses at the moment.  Gareth Southgate is comfortable using younger players because he has been involved with their progress at age group level so believes in what they can.

It also shows that just because you aren’t starting in the Premier League, that doesn’t mean that you can’t play for England, with Callum Hudson-Odoi in the latest squad.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka has had a brilliant season for Crystal Palace, but hasn’t been included because of the performances of Trent Alexander-Arnold, that’s a great position Gareth finds himself in.

Jadon Sancho showed a lot of courage to move to Dortmund, and not just be happy sitting on the bench at Manchester City, and it has paid off.  He believed in his own ability and he is reaping the rewards now, and I do think that other players will follow his lead.

There is a very fine balance between sitting tight, learning your trade and being patient but also having the confidence to say that you want to get out and play.

Phil Foden is facing that scenario now, he’s only appearing every now and then at Manchester City.

Callum Hudson-Odoi handed in a transfer request to try and force a move to Bayern Munich in January and this summer he will only have a year left on his contract.  My guess is that he will look to move during the next transfer window.

He will be looking at Jaden Sancho and thinking that it is a good route to follow, and I admire him for that ambition, footballers have a short enough career, 15 years if they’re lucky, so every season counts.