Gareth Southgate has told Aaron Ramsdale that he cannot guarantee him a place in the England squad for Euro 2024 if he does not get back into the Arsenal team.
Ramsdale has been included in Southgate's latest squad for the upcoming Euros qualifiers, against Malta and North Macedonia, despite featuring just twice for Arsenal, both in the Carabao Cup, since the start of September, although he played in the Three Lions' friendly win over Scotland in the same month.
The 25-year-old goalkeeper was a mainstay for the Gunners and England last season, but has lost his place at the club to summer signing David Raya.
Ramsdale did not feature in last month's Wembley wins over Australia and Italy — the latter clinching their place in Germany next summer — but during the camp he told Standard Sport he was in danger of "falling by the wayside" for England if he did not force his way back into Mikel Arteta's plans.
Southgate has told Ramsdale he cannot promise him a place if he is not playing, raising the possibility that the keeper could consider his options in January if the situation is unchanged.
"I think longer term, we're just going to have to see how it is," Southgate said of Ramsdale. "I had that conversation with him in the last camp [in October]. We thought he did really well for us in Scotland.
"He's still battling to be the No1 at Arsenal, and his profile and the way he can use the ball with his feet, we like, we think that's important. But there is a reality as a keeper. If we get to March and he's six months without playing regularly, then I'm never going to promise things that I couldn't guarantee delivering. He knows that, he's perfectly realistic about that."
Jordan Pickford has been Southgate's No1 since before the 2018 World Cup, while Crystal Palace's Sam Johnstone has also been included in the latest squad, Newcastle's Nick Pope is in the picture and the England manager namechecked Burnley's James Trafford, too.
"For this camp, we thought it's the right thing to stick with the guys we've had," Southgate added. "But there is competition."
Southgate, who made just one change to his squad from last month's fixtures, with Callum Wilson replacing Eddie Nketiah, revealed Reece James had decided against joining up with the squad because he did not feel "quite ready" as he works his way back to full fitness. The England manager insisted he understood James's decision and says the Chelsea right-back is aware of the "risk" given the competition for places in his position.
"Reece was very keen to make clear, 'Look, I don't want you to think I don't want to be there', and we had a really good long conversation and exchange of messages after that as well," Southgate said. "I am very understanding. We are all conscious that we want to have a fit Reece James that can play consecutive games, because we can only take 23 to a finals and that physical reliability is going to be really important.
"We'd have loved to have him with us, don't get me wrong, but I'm perfectly calm with the conversation. There is [a lot of competition at right-back] and that's the risk. He's only got one more squad before the Euros, so he knows that.
"We've got belief in what he can do — and equally we're going to learn a lot about him in the next few months playing as a full-back rather than a wing-back, because that's also a different role that's going to have different demands."
