MX23RW : Sunday, May 12 16:57:04| >> :600:97951:97951:

Gordon Banks: 'Jack Butland should be number one'

Banks: 'Butland should be number one'
© SilverHub
Former England goalkeeper Gordon Banks insists that Stoke City's Jack Butland should be Gareth Southgate's number one stopper for the 2018 World Cup.

Former England goalkeeper Gordon Banks has claimed that Stoke City's Jack Butland should be Gareth Southgate's number one for the 2018 World Cup.

Butland, 24, was given the chance to impress during England's final World Cup qualifier against Lithuania on Sunday night.

The cap was Butland's sixth for the Three Lions, but he is still behind on-loan Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart when it comes to the pecking order.

Banks, who represented England on 73 occasions between 1963 and 1972, has said that Butland should "definitely" be the nation's number one due to his form since returning from a long-term injury.

"He's definitely our number one as far as I'm concerned. I would love to see it and would be so proud of him. When I think of Joe Hart I think of his age and how he's playing, then I look at Jack and definitely think he should be the one playing now," the Stoke Sentinel quotes Banks as saying.

"Whether Jack is the man next summer depends on how many starts he gets for England between now and then. If the manager thinks he's got it in him to be number one, then he will bang him into the friendly matches to have a real good look at him and to make sure he's ready. But if he keeps with Joe Hart, that won't be great news for Jack."

England will return to action with friendlies against Germany and Brazil at Wembley next month.

ID:309237: cacheID:309237:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2733:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Jack Butland sits injured during the international friendly between Germany and England on March 26, 2016
Read Next:
Jack Butland to start against Lithuania
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City36267391335885
2Arsenal36265588286083
3Liverpool36239481384378
4Aston Villa36207973532067
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs361961171591263
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle361761379572257
7Chelsea361691173611257
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd35166135255-354
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham371410135971-1252
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton361212125458-448
11Bournemouth37139155365-1248
12Crystal Palace371210155258-646
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves37137175063-1346
14Fulham37128175159-844
15Everton37139153949-1040
16Brentford37109185461-739
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3789204766-1929
18Luton TownLuton3768235081-3126
RBurnley3759234076-3624
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd37372735101-6616


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!