Aaron Ramsdale says it was a proud moment when he heard he’d been recalled to the England squad, following his strong performances with Arsenal.

Earlier this week, Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale was recalled to the England squad for the upcoming international break.

Ramsdale was notably part of the England squad for the Euros over the summer, but he dropped out in September as Sam Johnstone and Nick Pope received call-ups as backups to Jordan Pickford instead.

The 23-year-old has since made his Arsenal Premier League debut and kept three clean sheets in four league games, on top of his clean sheet in the League Cup in August.

Gareth Southgate evidently took notice of that form and called him back up for the October break. Speaking on Saturday, Ramsdale admits he was proud to get the call.

“It was something that I was hoping would happen, but you never know,” Ramsdale said. “When I got the call, obviously, it was another proud moment for myself.

“[It] shows hard work on the training pitch and getting myself into the team and into the spotlight for Gareth to pick me. Now, whatever happens, next week, I’ll go and enjoy it.”

Without showing my Arsenal bias too much, Ramsdale must be in with a shout to at least take the backup spot for England.

Jordan Pickford is Southgate’s favourite, the player he has relied on to good effect in tournaments, and he’s still a regular for Everton in the Premier League. But after that, there aren’t many strong candidates.

Sam Johnstone is the other goalkeeper in the squad, but he now plays for a Championship club in West Brom. He’s not testing himself against the best in the country on a weekly basis.

Ramsdale will need to be patient. He’s still yet to make his debut for England, so that’s the first milestone he needs to reach. Once he gets that chance, he can work on convincing Southgate to keep giving him opportunities.