England manager Thomas Tuchel could spring a surprise in his next squad for a no-pressure World Cup qualifier against Serbia and Albania by calling up Coventry star Karl Rushworth.
England manager Thomas Tuchel could call up Karl Rushworth to his next squad after sending scouts to monitor the Coventry star. Rushworth joined the Sky Blues on a seasonal loan from Brighton in the summer and is enjoying his time at the club.
Coventry have made a great start under manager Frank Lampard and are top of the Championship. They remained undefeated through 12 games, with 8 wins and 4 draws, making a good start towards promotion to the Premier League.
Coventry’s attack has garnered the most attention, scoring 34 goals so far, 14 more than any other team in the division. But they also boast the second-best defensive record with Rushworth keeping six clean sheets in the Championship so far.
According to talkSPORT, the 24-year-old Rushworth played for England’s youth teams from Under-19s to Under-21s and could be considered as a senior player. Tuchel’s scouts are paying close attention to his development and are turning their attention to November’s matches against Serbia and Albania, which will mean little after England qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
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Jordan Pickford was supported by Dean Henderson and James Trafford in England’s final team, which saw a 3-0 friendly win over Wales and a 5-0 World Cup qualifying win over Latvia. Pickford has been the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper for years and remained so when Tuchel replaced Gareth Southgate as Lee Carsley’s caretaker manager.
Trafford, who joined Manchester City from Burnley in the summer and gave up regular first-team football, is thought to be the most threatened goalkeeper of the trio. Trafford returned to his old club for a fee of £31 million at the same time Gianluigi Donnarumma joined from Paris Saint-Germain and took over the No. 1 spot under manager Josep Guardiola.
Rushworth, by contrast, has played every game for Coventry and recently recorded 613 minutes without conceding, the longest in the club’s history. However, he tarnished his copybook by conceding a penalty in a 3-1 win over Watford on Saturday afternoon.
Guardiola certainly does not expect Trafford to have any problems at international level. “I’m the only one who can say I’m happy he’s here,” he said ahead of City’s Carabao Cup game against Swansea on Wednesday night.
“We have to be ready in case we need him in the Premier League or the Champions League. We have a great keeper who will sooner or later become England’s number one.”
Despite conceding a penalty which Watford converted, Rushworth was forced into several good stops at the weekend as the Sky Blues raced to a 3-0 lead at half-time. “Carl Rushworth made some great saves for us,” Lampard said. “That’s why he’s there and it’s great to see his form continue. We did a lot of damage in the first half, but they’re a counter-attacking team.
“We had to be a little careful with our play, but we also had to take the sting out of the game. We want to win the game. It’s dangerous to be loose against a good opponent.”
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