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Joe Hart will be England's No1 keeper at Euro 2016, says Roy Hodgson

Sunday, March 27, 2016 Source: theguardian.com


Joe Hart miss England's friendlies against Germany and Holland after being injured in the Manchester derby.

Roy Hodgson has said there is no risk of Joe Hart losing his place as England's No1 goalkeeper, despite the form of Jack Butland and Fraser Forster. Hart has been absent from England's camp for the friendly matches against Germany and Holland after sustaining a calf injury in the Manchester derby last Sunday, but could return to Manchester City's side for their Champions League quarter-final with Paris Saint-Germain.

Barring another injury, the 28-year-old is certain to start for England at the European Championship, which begins against Russia on 11 June. Hodgson, who called up Burnley's Tom Heaton to the squad as a replacement for Hart, said it is important to have competition for places but neither Butland nor Forster will give him a goalkeeping problem for Euro 2016.

"They're not close to giving me a goalkeeping dilemma because we're very happy with our goalkeeper. We've let in something like five goals in 15 games, so lets not say we've got a goalkeeper crisis," Hodgson said before Hart sustained his injury.

"If every time you were being pushed to leave out your No1 goalkeeper because your No2 and No3 were doing well with their club sides, then you'd be constantly changing. That was the situation when Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence were sharing roles, but my choice would be to choose the best of those three. If you're asking me could all three do a good job, are they capable, then my answer would be unequivocally yes."

England conceded three goals during their 10 qualifying matches for Euro 2016 and kept eight clean sheets. Hodgson is expecting to give Butland and Forster an opportunity to play in the friendlies leading up to France but Hart will return once the tournament begins.

"I'm really pleased the other two are doing so well with their club sides and I'm really pleased Joe isn't able to just sit back and say: ‘Well, he's not going to drop me because there's no competition for my place'," Hodgson said.

"We have five games before we play our opening match with Russia and it's more than possible in those five games we'll give some experience to the other two, but I'm not willing to put a time or date on that. It's nice to have those five games and to have the substitution options that you don't get in the qualifiers."

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