Flying Scott Carson can be the solution to keeping crisis

But is playing Carson that bad an idea when Paul Robinson and David James are such a cause for concern? Would it really be that foolish of Steve McClaren to end the debate by simply picking the one keeper in the squad who is not suffering from a crisis of confidence?

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If McClaren dismisses Carson on the grounds that he has not yet represented England's senior side, perhaps he should take other things into account.

Like the fact that, along with James Milner, Carson has made a record 29 appearances for England's Under 21s. Like the fact that he was part of the Under 21s who missed out on the final of last summer's European Championships in Holland only after a marathon of a penalty shoot-out.

Like the fact that he was Charlton's player of the season last May and is now, in the eyes of Martin O'Neill, a better bet at Aston Villa than Thomas Sorensen. Carson did not have a great deal to do at Villa Park on Sunday, not least because Chelsea managed not a single shot on target in the second half.

But the performance of the centre-halves can sometimes say as much about a goalkeeper and Martin Laursen and Zat Knight defended in a fashion that suggested they had complete trust in the man behind them.

O'Neill is not Carson's only admirer. Manchester City, Birmingham and Newcastle also looked at taking him on loan from Liverpool during the summer and he even caught the eye of the goalkeeper at the opposite end of the pitch on Sunday.

'Scott has a lot of talent,' said Chelsea's Petr Cech. 'I think he's got a great future in front of him.'

Carson was flattered by the praise. 'It's good to hear that from somebody like Petr Cech because he's the world's best,' he said. 'I've got to push Paul Robinson and David James as hard as possible. But I think it'll mainly be training for me with England this week.'

On Friday McClaren spoke of the need for experience as he looked ahead to Saturday's match with Israel and the one with Russia four days later. But that was before Robinson let in another three goals against Fulham. Before James let in as many the next day at Arsenal - the first of which came from the penalty spot as a result of his reckless challenge on Robin van Persie.

In fairness, James still looks a safer bet than Robinson. He has been consistently excellent for more than a year and was a major reason for Portsmouth's success last season.

Robinson, while talented, is playing like someone who needs to be taken out of the firing line. The calamities against Germany last month coincided with a desperate run at Tottenham which has not been helped by the absence through injury of the club's best centre-halves - and followed the blunders that he committed in Croatia last season.

If McClaren is determined to choose one of them, James has to remain the preferred choice for two Euro 2008 qualifiers England cannot afford to lose.

But two wins in nine games and two keepers who might just spark panic in England's defence suggest it might just be worth making a change. A change that would have almost certainly been made had Ben Foster been fit.

McClaren says he is not afraid to give youth a chance, as he insisted when he discussed the possible involvement of Ashley Young and David Bentley over the course of the next nine days.

'Ashley Young definitely has a chance of taking part,' said McClaren after watching the young Villa winger impress against Chelsea. 'We'll see how he performs in training this week.'

Ditto Bentley, who has to be pushing Shaun Wright-Phillips for a place on the right flank in the absence of the injured David Beckham. 'He deserves to be in the squad,' added McClaren.

When the squad gathered in Watford on Monday night, another young player was added. Joleon Lescott comes in as a replacement for the injured Sol Campbell and deservedly so given how well he has been playing for Everton.

But Carson is just as deserving - and not just of a place in the squad.