Jordan Pickford’s absence in England is explained by the Everton star missing the match against Finland

Jordan Pickford has developed into England’s number 1 over the years, but has made way for a full-fledged debutant in the Nations League

According to Lee Carsley, Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s absence from the England squad against Finland was always planned, despite a poor performance against Greece. Pickford played the full 90 minutes in the 2-1 defeat at Wembley Stadium on Thursday evening, but like the rest of his defense failed to cover himself in glory.

In the first half, the Blues shot-stopper was saved by Levi Colwill after being caught in possession outside his area. Under Gareth Southgate, Pickford was relied upon as the first-choice goalkeeper for all competitive matches involving England.

However, on Sunday evening he will be on the bench in Helsinki. Explaining the reason for Pickford’s absence and the start of Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson against Finland, Carsley told ITV Sport: “It was a matter of looking at a few different players and it was always the case that I would get Dean in one go watching the games.”

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Everton fans are unlikely to shed tears as their ‘keeper is rested. Nationally, Pickford is Sean Dyche’s number 1 and has not missed a minute in the Premier League.