Thomas Tuchel named an extended 35-man England squad for March friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, with Jason Steele among five goalkeepers selected alongside Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, James Trafford, and Dean Henderson. Steele, a 35-year-old goalkeeper for Brighton, had booked a family holiday over the international break before his England call-up. He has played for Middlesbrough, Blackburn, Sunderland, and Brighton in his career, making 35 appearances in the Premier League since 2018, and represented England from age 15 to 21 at youth levels.
His call-up drew huge praise from his teammates, who gave him a round of applause in a team meeting. Dean Henderson is among 11 players who will arrive late to camp and miss the first game.
Did I have a holiday booked? I might have, yeah… My wife will look after all of that. Don’t worry about that. No money in the world could have stopped me going.
I came into the team meeting on Friday and my team-mates gave me a round of applause. That means more to me than anything. Very emotional.
It was always my dream to represent my country. I’m fortunate to have done it from when I was 15 until 21. That’s usually the preparing you for those senior occasions. It’s come a little bit later than what we would have wanted! It’s a nice journey – a run of perseverance, effort, sacrifice. At 35, I still enjoy throwing myself on the ground every single day and giving my all for this football club. And, ultimately, it pays off.