- Ramsdale was sent back to Newcastle
- English goalkeeper World Cup hopes in doubt
- Tuchel prefers Premier League trio
Newcastle United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale’s England call-up for the international friendlies did not go as planned. The Magpies loanee has been removed from the squad ahead of the friendly against Japan tonight (March 31st).
The ongoing international break is Thomas Tuchel’s last chance to assess players before naming his World Cup squad. Having received immense appreciation from the supporters for the dominant qualification, the German is planning ahead of the tournament.
Tuchel has made eight cuts to the initial 35-man squad and one of them was Ramsdale. The former Arsenal shot-stopper didn’t appear in a 1-1 draw against Uruguay.
What This Means for Ramsdale
In the game of football, nothing is certain, but Ramsdale’s World Cup quest looks to be over unless injuries occur for England’s preferred goalkeeping trio. That appears to be Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson and James Trafford.
Ramsdale wasn’t the only player withdrawn from the squad. Arsenal’s Noni Madueke, Declan Rice, and Bukayo Saka were also sent back to their club due to injuries.
Reports from the BBC suggest that the manager split the squad into two camps. While the first was made up primarily of fringe players, the second was made up of regular players.
Tuchel touched on those who withdrew voluntarily:
“We want them to perform in their clubs, but the reality is it’s our last camp before we leave to America, so we want to reconnect to our principles. It’s disappointing, but I’m not upset with the players. I’m not angry. I got the feeling that everyone was desperate to come. Some of the injured players even stayed to do their treatment. That shows they want to be around the group.”
Ramsdale has been included in England squads for Euro 2020, Euro 2024, and the 2022 World Cup. However, he only served as a backup goalkeeper and his last appearance for the Three Lions was in a friendly against Belgium in 2024.
Tuchel’s Clear Goalkeeping Trio
Tuchel seems to know the players he wants in his World Cup squad. Having removed Ramsdale, the boss seems to prefer Pickford, Trafford and Henderson as his goalkeeping options.
Pickford has always been the number 1 for the Three Lions for over a decade, and that won’t change. The 27-year-old seemed to have lost the edge to the youngsters after an unpleasant season with the Magpies.
Now, the Newcastle keeper’s only goal would be to find redemption in the remaining games in the Premier League and look forward to next season. He displaced Nick Pope as Eddie Howe’s number one in recent months.
