England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley backs James Trafford to overcome the blow of losing his place in Burnley’s team… after goalkeeper received first call-up to Three Lions first-team squad
- James Trafford received his first ever call-up to the England first team
- However, the news comes shortly after he was dropped as Burnley’s first choice
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James Trafford has been given support to overcome the blow of losing his place at Burnley after a surprise first England call-up.
The 21-year-old had started every Premier League match and conceded 62 goals before Vincent Kompany dropped him for Muric ahead of the recent win over Brentford.
Gareth Southgate still selected Trafford ahead of England’s friendly with Belgium following the withdrawal of Sam Johnstone. And his Under-21 boss Lee Carsley insisted the goalkeeper has the temperament to deal with the adversity at club level.
“He’s very confident, very confident,” Carsley said. ‘We’ve talked about it. He’s fine, absolutely fine. I sometimes think that because he’s so low maintenance, you could almost go to camp without talking to him as much.
‘To develop resilience you have to be in these kinds of situations. He will come back stronger.”
Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford has been promoted to the England senior team
Lee Carsley (L) has backed the goalkeeper to overcome the blow of losing his place at Burnley
Wigan Athletic’s Sam Tickle is expected to don the gloves for Tuesday’s European Under-21 Championship qualifier against Luxembourg.
England are keeping a close eye on Trafford’s development after the former Manchester City stopper earned a £14million move to Turf Moor in the wake of a stunning European Championship, keeping six clean sheets and saving a last-minute penalty in the final against Spain.
“I think James deserves to be up there,” Carsley added. “I think he has shown, especially through what he has done for us, that he is an excellent goalkeeper with real top-level potential.
“He also has the mentality to fit into that group when it comes to starting a support act or being a support act. He is an all-round, very exciting player. He has been playing in the Premier League at such a young age and has shown that he has all the qualities.”