Norwich City goalkeeping legend Kevin Keelan has backed Robert Green's claims to a place in the World Cup squad - but bemoaned the lack of choice available to England.
Norwich City goalkeeping legend Kevin Keelan has backed Robert Green's claims to a place in the World Cup squad - but bemoaned the lack of choice available to England.
The Canaries' appearance record-holder said current No 1 Green should be on the plane for Germany this summer and believes he is good enough to be Paul Robinson's understudy.
Keelan, now 65, made a record 673 senior appearances for the Canaries between 1963 and 1980. Now living in Florida and running his own goalkeeping school, he said Green deserved not only to be going to the World Cup with Sven-Goran Eriksson's squad, but should also be number two to Spurs' star Robinson.
The squad is announced on May 8, with Green currently undergoing treatment for an ankle injury.
“I think he should be going to Germany,” said Keelan, clearly none too impressed at the current crop of goalkeepers at Eriksson's disposal.
“If someone ever asked me to write an article on goalkeeping then I'd say English goalkeeping is probably at its lowest ebb.
“We once had 10 of the top goalkeepers in the world, players who would have walked into any national side,” he told the club's official website.
“Now we've got Robinson and Green and that's about it. And as for that character David James - I can't understand why Robert hasn't been promoted ahead of him. He'll be going to Germany and rightly so. I wish him the best of luck.”
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