Jordan Pickford has cited competition as the reason for his recent England omissions by Thomas Tuchel.Pickford was benched in both Nations League matches against Spain and the Czech Republic, with James Trafford the chosen goalkeeper.Trafford (left) only had two caps before this camp but has played in both England matches ahead of PickfordGettyThe decision to drop the Everton star from each starting XI came as a surprise given that he has been the long-term no. 1 for England since his debut in 2017.Pickford also won his 19th World Cup appearance during the summer, which is the all-time Three Lions record, and has 91 caps overall.Speaking to the media, he all but confirmed that he will start in goal for England when they face Croatia on Saturday, live on talkSPORT, as Trafford has now met his international break quota of two matches.And during an interview with talkSPORT’s Faye Carruthers, he revealed what head coach Tuchel told him ahead of the camp about his team absences.What did Tuchel say to Pickford?“He said I’ve done nothing wrong. New competition after the World Cup; he wanted to give Trafford a go to see how he is.“He’s started well at Leeds, so I think he wants to have competition against me, and that’s great. He’s the manager, a top manager, and you’ve got to respect that.“Then it’s about me – what do I need to do more? How can I keep pushing my boundaries and break that ceiling again? That’s what I love to do, that’s why I love football.”On the competition with other goalkeepers, he added: “I won’t be looking over my shoulder; I’ll be focusing on myself, how I can improve, how I can keep developing.“We’ve had good competition over the years… Harty (Joe Hart), Jack Butland, we’ve always had good ‘keepers coming through and a lot of ‘keepers playing in the Prem (Premier League). “So the competition is always there, and it’s about me focusing on me, being the best version of myself. I think that’s what every ‘keeper would do and, as long as I focus on me, I’ll keep improving.”Pickford has explained that Tuchel wanted to give Trafford a chance in goal against Spain and Czechia, so that’s why he was benchedGettyPickford reveals next ambitionThe legendary Peter Shilton has made the most appearances in goal for England, with his 125 caps also the country’s overall leading tally.With starts against Croatia and Czechia now on the horizon for Pickford, he is set to end the international break on a total of 93 caps.It means he is closing in on the landmark figure of 100 appearances for England, something that only ten players have managed to hit.Now 32-years-old, Pickford has plenty more years left in the tank at international level, with goalkeepers typically among the last players to retire from football.So when asked about his future goals with England, he explained: “My ambition is just to focus on me, being who I want to be and who I’m striving to be.“Just keep improving day in, day out, always setting goals. There’s not many people who’ve got 100 caps, so that’s my first ambition.Pickford is set to return to the starting XI, and is setting his sights on reaching 100 caps for EnglandGetty“I want to keep playing at World Cups, I want to keep being at the Euros, I want to play at major tournaments. “That’s the ambition, so the hard work never stops, and I’ll always push those boundaries to keep improving.”