Sheffield United's Aaron Ramsdale receives England call - and a potential pay rise?

One of only two players attached to non Premier League clubs selected by Gareth Southgate, Ramsdale’s place in the 33 strong party is a reward for his impressive displays during the second half of the campaign following an £18.5m move from AFC Bournemouth.

Although the exact details of the agreement which saw him return to Bramall Lane last summer remain unknown, sources with knowledge of the negotiations have told The Star that Ramsdale’s involvement with the under-21’s at the time means it almost certainly contains a clause triggering another payment to Ramsdale’s former employers.

Although the overall amount United are scheduled to pay for Ramsdale will not change, with payments spread over the course of his four year contract, the 23-year-old’s representative is also expected to have secured the right to discuss a salary increase for his client upon the award of a senior England cap.

Again, although the presence of Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford and Sam Johnstone among Southgate’s selections means Ramsdale is unlikely to win one of those at the tournament - even if he makes the final 26 man cut - the decision to summon him to England’s forthcoming training camp will see his value soar. In turn, that is likely to attract unwanted attention during the transfer market; even though Ramsdale has made it plain he does not want to leave South Yorkshire despite United’s relegation from the top-flight last term.

United recently handed Rhys Norrington-Davies a new deal following the defender’s breakthrough with Wales. Although that was partly a reward for his progress during a spell on loan with Luton Town before switching to Stoke City, the decision was also designed to send a signal to rival teams that the youngster was not for sale.

Despite being criticised for investing such a significant sum of money in a player United had sold for £1m three years earlier, Ransdale’s involvement with the Three Lions vindicates former manager Chris Wilder’s faith in the youngster’s potential.

Before vacating his position in March, following a series of disagreements with the board about recruitment and sporting strategy, Wilder frequently insisted Ramsdale would prove to be a shrewd and prudent acquisition - even when he made a chequered start to life back at United.

Southgate is scheduled to announce which seven players have been culled from his squad on June 1; less than a fortnight before England play their opening group match against Croatia at Wembley Stadium.

Ramsdale was an ever-present in United’s starting eleven throughout the 2020/21 season. After initially struggling for both form and confidence, he grew in stature as the campaign progressed and was named Player of the Year before last weekend’s 1-0 win over Burnley. Nick Pope, the visitors’ first choice goalkeeper, missed that fixture through injury with Sean Dyche later acknowledging he is expected to spend most of the summer recovering from a surgical procedure.