World Cup 2026: From West Africa to the World Cup, Carlisle is England’s goalkeeper factory.

In the year Pickford, who made his England debut in 2017, helped his side reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia the following year and became manager Thomas Tuchel’s number one.

Now 32-years-old with 85 appearances, Carlisle has played his part in the club’s development since joining the then-League One side on loan from Sunderland.

He made just 18 appearances for the Cumbria-based club but made his mark.

“I remember one game in particular, when we played Preston at Deepdale,” said Ben Benson, who went to the game as a supporter but was part of Carlisle’s goalkeeping squad.

“He made the same mistakes goalkeepers up and down the country make every week.”

The damage could not be overstated, Benson recalled, when the 19-year-old Pickford joined a club struggling to stay in the division.

He came up to Preston to meet the cross and although the ball looked like he had both hands, it fell out of his hands and Lee Holmes slotted home North End’s third goal to make it 6-1.

However, it was what Pickford did after that mistake that impressed Benson and set the tone for the rest of the season.

He added: “Once it happened, I remember he went back to the goal, took out the towel and put it on his head for five seconds.

“It was like he took it off, put it back on, and hit the reset button. I remember it being fantastic from the moment.”

Pickford’s displays were not enough to save Carlisle from relegation, but he returned to Sunderland and established himself as first-choice keeper in 2017, moving to Everton for a £30m transfer fee.

“You see reliability and strength first and foremost in Jordan,” Benson said. “For him to have over 300 Premier League games and over 80 English games, there’s strength there and I think that’s very important.”