James Trafford in a Leeds United shirt and Jordan Pickford in his Everton jersey ahead of Elland Road.
James Trafford in a Leeds United shirt and Jordan Pickford in his Everton jersey ahead of Elland Road.
It's back to England duties for Leeds United goalkeeper James Trafford this week.
After his mistake at Bournemouth, the number one bounced back superbly against Tottenham at Elland Road on Saturday.
Trafford made a fabulous late save as Leeds returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Spurs.
And now, he'll make his way to St George's Park and Thomas Tuchel alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Like his fellow German, Daniel Farke has backed Trafford massively since his move to LS11, and is getting his rewards.
But much of the talk surrounds Everton's Jordan Pickford.
What's been said about England goalkeeper rivalry?
This is what a country like England needs, solid competition in every last position on the pitch.
Pickford remains the Three Lions' number one, and rightly so after his years of service in major competitions.
Tuchel admitted that himself, but has opened the door for Trafford to rotate with him in the UEFA Nations League.
With games against Croatia and Spain over the next two weeks, the Leeds and Everton stars will likely play one each.
That's what they did in the previous break, playing two each.
When told about the plan by Tuchel, Pickford was highly supportive of the decision and Trafford, revealed to have said by The Athletic, "yeah, let’s do this, Traff deserves it, and I will push him."
That's brilliant for the Leeds stopper, too.
Why this is brilliant for James Trafford
Pickford has been an England everpresent for years now.
Manager after manager picked the Everton keeper for every single game, whether a friendly or a qualifier.
Not many others even got the chance, until now under Tuchel.
Trafford is the standout keeper in the Premier League this season, and he's set to get his third England appearance of the season during this break.
With the highest save percentage in Europe's top-five leagues, everybody knows that he's going to the very top, hopefully at Elland Road.
With EURO 2028 next up, many believe that Trafford will be number one for that tournament, with another season-and-a-half to go until then.
Trafford is outperforming Pickford domestically, and now he must start trying to do that on the international stage.
Brilliantly, though, it's clear that they've got each other's back.