Sam Johnstone under consideration for England call after Jordan Pickford injury

Pickford has been sidelined by the abdominal injury which saw him substituted in the first half of Everton’s 2-1 defeat to Burnley last weekend.

The Toffees confirmed on Tuesday the 27-year-old is set for an extended absence and Johnstone is now an option for Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate as he looks to fill the space in his squad.

His performances in goal have been among the few positives in what has been a tough season for Albion.

Despite conceding a Premier League-high 57 goals in a team which looks increasingly destined for relegation, Johnstone is the clear frontrunner to be named the Baggies’ player of the season.

The 27-year-old has made more saves than any other keeper in the top flight and his efforts have not escaped the attention of Southgate, who is due to name his squad for qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland on Thursday.

Burnley’s Nick Pope and Manchester United’s Dean Henderson are the established back-ups to Pickford, who has remained No.1 for the national team despite some indifferent performances at club level.

Sheffield United’s Aaron Ramsdale, who has previously been called up by Southgate, has already been named in the under-21 squad for the forthcoming European Championships.

Johnstone has made 120 appearances for Albion since joining in a £6.5million move from Manchester United in 2018, helping the club win promotion back to the Premier League last year.

He had previously enjoyed loan spells at both Walsall and Villa prior to arriving at The Hawthorns.

Johnstone would become the second Albion keeper to be called up for England duty this week, after Josh Griffiths was included in the under-21 squad. The 19-year-old has kept 18 clean sheets in 39 appearances while on loan at League Two leaders Cheltenham Town this season.

Striker Hal Robson-Kanu has been called up Wales for their World Cup qualifiers against Belgium and the Czech Republic and a friendly against Mexico.