How Jordan Pickford reacted to recent England snub for Leeds United's James Trafford

Jordan Pickford had to watch Leeds United's James Trafford play ahead of him in England's last two Nations League matches.

Thomas Tuchel called up Trafford, who has impressed at Elland Road after his £40million move from Manchester City in the summer.

The Whites made it a priority to upgrade the goalkeeper position, as Karl Darlow and Illan Meslier both left the club for free.

Trafford has been given the number one spot by Daniel Farke, with his performances catching the eye of Tuchel.

The 23-year-old started in England's first two Nations League games against Spain and the Czech Republic.

Pickford holds the record for the most World Cup appearances for an England player, and may have been surprised after being told Trafford would play ahead of him.

How Jordan Pickford reacted to England snub for James Trafford

England have lacked a major tournament win for too long, which is why many see the Nations League as a good opportunity to instil a winning mindset.

With that said, Tuchel's call to play Trafford in net against the defending world champions in Spain was a big one.

England's 3-2 loss on the night raised further conversations in the debate over who should be the Three Lions' number one shot-stopper.

Pickford was told the day before England's game against Spain that he would be watching from the bench, but the Everton keeper saw this as a positive for himself.

The 32-year-old said, as quoted by The Telegraph: "It was fine by me, and it was like, ‘right, now it’s time I need to go again’.

"It’s good for Traff. I’ve always said I’ve had good competition since I made my debut in 2017.

"I’ve always had that competition, and it’s about me improving, keep going, keep striving for me. I love nothing more than having competition."

Pickford is set to start in England's game against Croatia on Saturday, and is also expected to play in the return fixture against the Czech Republic on Tuesday.

Trafford had a mixed bag while away on duty, but is still clearly ahead of Dean Henderson, who is the third-choice goalie for Tuchel at this stage.

What Leeds have learnt after £40m Trafford move

Leeds spent a big amount of money on a goalkeeper to bring Trafford to LS11, but it was no doubt a position that needed upgrading.

The Whites also forked out around £15.6m for Lucas Perri last year, but the Brazilian proved he was not cut out for the Premier League and was later replaced by the veteran Darlow.

Trafford already boasts a positive 0.95 goals prevented rate in the Premier League, while Perri had 2.19 last term.

Trafford has kept clean sheets in 50 per cent of his games for the Whites so far, and that £40m price tag may start to look like a steal soon.