Joe Hart should be replaced by Jack Butland as England No 1, insists Gordon Banks
JACK BUTLAND should replace Joe Hart as England's No 1.
That's the verdict of the Three Lions' World Cup winning keeper Gordon Banks.
Hart was berated for two high profile Euro 2016 errors against Wales and Iceland, the second of which led to England's embarrassing elimination at the last 16 stage.
Stoke City stopper Butland would have been included in the 23-man squad in France had he not suffered a fractured ankle during a 3-2 friendly win against Germany in March.
The 23-year-old hopes to be fit for the start of the new season and Banks, who like Butland also played for Stoke and was England's first choice keeper in 1966, believes he should be given his chance ahead of the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.
He said: "That lad is a terrific goalkeeper and if I was the new manager, if I'd just got the job with England, I would put him in goal and I'd keep him in there.
"He's only 23. I'd keep in him in there to get him the experience of being used to playing there. Because this lad is a terrific goalkeeper, he really is.
"I've seen him play a little bit. I've heard that he practises quite a lot and works hard so you couldn't wish for a better goalkeeper than that."
Manchester City's Hart was beaten by a Gareth Bale free-kick from around 35 yards out but at least England came from behind to win the group match 2-1.
Kolbeinn Sigthorsson's low shot that eluded Hart's grasp and trickled into the net for what proved to be Iceland's winning goal last week proved more costly, and Banks, now 78, thinks Hart's mind cannot have been right.
He said: "His concentration wasn't 100 per cent, I don't think - once he could get his hands on that ball he should have either pushed it away or caught it.
"He didn't do either and that was a bad, bad mistake and it lost us the match, which was a shame."
Butland made his England debut in a friendly against Italy in 2012 but has earned just four caps for his country. He was most impressive for Stoke last season, keeping 12 clean sheets before his campaign was cut short in Berlin.