Of all the positions England coach Gareth Southgate will want to fine tune before the World Cup, the goalkeeping situation has to be priority No.1.
The Champions League Final provided a timely reminder of what a huge role the man between the posts has to play in a team’s fortunes.
By omitting Joe Hart from his squad, Southgate is going into a tournament with three keepers who have never played in a major championships before.
In truth, only the selection of Nick Pope over Hart caused a stir because Jordan Pickford and Jack Butland were both certainties to go. However, the lack of international game-time for all three compared to their Group G opponents is significant. Butland has seven caps; Pickford, the favourite to start in Russia, has two; and Pope none.
Those figures are put into perspective when you see that Thibaut Courtois has played 54 times in goal for Belgium; Aymen Mathlouthi has 70 caps for Tunisia; and Jaime Penedo trumps them all with 130 appearances for Panama.
But England defender Gary Cahill does not regard the disparity as a cause for concern.
“I don’t see it being an issue,” said the veteran Chelsea defender. “The three keepers will see it as a great challenge to look forward to.
“They’re all very talented, there is no question about that. Yes, they’re all relatively inexperienced at international level but you only get experience by playing in big games and international matches. You have to get your experience somehow.