England manager Roy Hodgson has told goalkeepers across the country now is their chance to put themselves in the frame for the national No 1 jersey.
England manager Roy Hodgson during a training session
With Southampton's Fraser Forster ruled out for up to nine months because of injury, adding to the similar long-term loss of West Bromwich Albion's Ben Foster, Hodgson needs back-up for Joe Hart.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday ahead of Friday's European Qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley, Hodgson was staying tight-lipped about any of his starting XI, but he highlighted the position of goalkeeper as one where preparations had not gone as he had hoped.
He said: "The competition for places is really hotting up except in the area of goalkeeping, of course.
"We thought we had three top-class goalkeepers that we were convinced were the right ones but now we only have one."
He said he was devastated for Forster and had been in touch with him since his injury, with a similar story for Foster.
Hodgson added: "I suppose, like all of these situations, it's now an opportunity for every other goalkeeper in the country to really start showing me and my coaching staff you don't need to worry because we're here.
"In the past, we've missed people and thought, hard to replace, and then other people have come along and shown they're capable of doing the job.
"We're very sad for Fraser and Ben, we do believe in them, we do trust that they'll be back, but in the meantime we're going to have to solve our problem elsewhere."
Hodgson said he was pleased, on the other hand, to see other players coming back into the squad from injuries and was happy overall.
He said: "At the start of the week, we suffered a few setbacks but luckily the squad's large enough to cope with that."
England are top of Group E with four wins from as many matches and will be expected to extend their 100 per cent record against Lithuania.
Refering jokingly to the furore this week about journalists having seen a scrap of paper in his hand with his players' names on it, the England manager took out a sheet of paper on which he said he had written the Lithuanian players' names.
He said he and his players had studied their opponents, adding: "We think we know enough about them. I guess it's pretty obvious people know more about Premier League players than we do about them.
"I hope we know enough and most importantly our players are prepared to do what we want to do and play the game we want to play and hope that will cause Lithuania the problems that we intend to cause them."