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Paul Robinson to Return for England?

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The Daily Mirror claims Roy Hodgson may recall the veteran keeper for the upcoming World Cup - but this move would be several steps back for the side.

See the guy in green in the background? That's Paul. This is the only photo we have of him.
See the guy in green in the background? That's Paul. This is the only photo we have of him.
Alex Livesey

It's no secret to readers of Three Lions Roar that there is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to English goalkeepers. As outlined by David here, England has no less than four elite top flight keepers in England and Scotland to draw on - Joe Hart, Fraser Forster, Ben Foster and John Ruddy. Beyond that fearsome trio, Jack Butland stands every chance of pushing one of the more established men out of the squad - if only he can displace the Bosnian wall that is Asmir Begovic at club level. Nonetheless, with these five options, one would think Roy Hodgson would have a tough enough time picking a winning rotation, but, according to the Daily Mirror, he is also taking Blackburn keeper and England veteran Paul Robinson into consideration for the third spot.

I struggle to see what Robertson, at 34, brings to England other than experience. In a team with such centenaries as Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole, I would argue that it simply isn't a good enough reason - in fact, it would be a major step back, preventing players such as Ruddy and Forster from taking the next step and gaining major international experience. Besides, having recently come back from a serious injury (a blood clot after a back operation), I feel like it would be wrong to force the added stress of an international tournament on him.

Beyond discussing Robinson, the article makes an interesting assertion - Ben Foster, not capped since 2011, will apparently be England's #2 in Brazil. With John Ruddy and Fraser Forster having backed up Joe Hart, seemingly without issue, for the last two years, this has huge implications, which we'll discuss in later articles.The Daily Mirror claims Roy Hodgson may recall the veteran keeper for the upcoming World Cup - but this move would be several steps back for the side.