West Brom keeper Sam Johnstone was pushing to be Jordan Pickford's understudy at the European Championships even before Manchester United's Dean Henderson was forced to withdraw, according to the Daily Mail.

Henderson had to pull out of the England squad yesterday after suffering from a hip issue that would have limited his involvement in the tournament, with Sheffield United's Aaron Ramsdale being called up as his replacement after initially missing out on the final 26-man list.

Nick Pope's injury created uncertainty over who would be second choice keeper behind Pickford, and although Henderson performed well when he was given a chance at United last season, his position as Southgate's second choice "was not set in stone".

Johnstone, who is now back in the Championship with West Brom, started for the Three Lions in their last friendly earlier this month against Romania and pulled off one particularly remarkable save as 28-year-old and his backline were able to keep a clean sheet.

And with Aaron Ramsdale yet to win his first senior cap for England, the West Brom shot stopper is now the obvious backup for Pickford, although Daily Mail sources claim Gareth Southgate would have even seriously considered starting Johnstone over Henderson if the Evertonian picked up an injury, suspension or suffered a loss in form.

Scotland are the visitors to Wembley on Friday for England's second group game and the 28-year-old looks set to appear on the bench again, raring to go in the event Pickford becomes unavailable at any point during the tournament.

The Verdict:

After seeing Johnstone in action for West Brom last season and former club Manchester United linked with a £20m move for him last month, despite his contract at the Hawthorns coming to an end next summer, it's no real surprise to hear the 28-year-old is impressing Three Lions goalkeeping coach Martyn Margetson.

He performed extremely well on his debut against Romania and that will give England manager Southgate a lot of reassurance if Jordan Pickford, who isn't afraid to throw himself about in the penalty box, picks up an injury or becomes unavailable for another reason.

For Johnstone personally, this news means he has a real chance of being in many international squads for years to come, even when Pope and Henderson come back from injury and this should be the motivation for him to continue doing well in the tournament.