England's goalkeeper dilemma

6. TOM HEATON (Burnley, 31) :

An aging hero with the odds not in his favor

Heaton, 31, rated highly by his peers, has made just three England appearances but now looks out of the picture after suffering a shoulder injury in September. Although he is backfrom injury now and into training, Heaton faces an uphill battle to oust Nick Pope, 25, who has impressed at Turf Moor. In spite of being rated highly by pundits due to his command of the game and the position, he almost has no chance of even being called up in the 23-men squad. However, Heaton will be ready to fight for his World Cup dream despite the odds being stacked heavily against him.

Heaton believes that England are in a golden age for goalkeeping but the Clarets stopper is relishing the challenge of battling for a place in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad. He insists that consistent performances for Burnley are the key to securing a place on the plane to Russia next summer, but he will face fierce competition with the other guys in the list also eyeing spots in England’s 23-man squad. As Heaton say : “I, for one, am looking forward to the challenge and I think it will help the younger lads coming through. Hopefully the goalkeeping department will go from strength to strength. It’s brilliant to be part of that and I’m embracing the challenge of being part of it.”

PROS : Experienced, highly rated, leader.

CONS : Just returned from shoulder injury, it is almost impossible for him to make it to Russia.