Peter Shilton urges Gareth Southgate to look beyond Joe Hart and give one of England's young keepers a chance

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England's most decorated goalkeeper says Joe Hart is approaching his sell-by date and has urged manager Gareth Southgate to start one of Hart's rising young rivals in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Lithuania.

Peter Shilton, who holds a record 125 England caps whether for a keeper or outfield player, has considerable sympathy for Hart after his awkward spell at Manchester City. 

But with Southgate's team on the verge of qualification Shilton believes England must start using the likes of Everton's Jordan Pickford and especially Jack Butland of Stoke to test their ability in meaningful competitive games. 

Peter Shilton says Gareth Southgate should look to other options rather than always Joe Hart

England will confirm their place in Russia next summer with victory against Slovenia at Wembley on Thursday before rounding off World Cup qualification with a trip to the Baltics to take on Lithuania three days later.  

Hart is likely to start in goal but the on-loan West Ham keeper, who club career has taken a downward spiral after a one-year spell in Italy, had a miserable tournament at Euro 2016 has been increasingly prone to errors of late.

'Joe was a bit unfairly treated at Manchester City because the manager wanted a certain type of sweeper keeper,' says Shilton, now 68. 'To me a goalkeeper is about keeping the ball out the net, organising your defence, taking responsibility, showing confidence, making saves at the right time and making few mistakes.'

Shilton acknowledges that Hart may not have covered all these bases in recent matches. 'Don't get me wrong I'm not knocking Joe but at some point maybe somebody's going to be a bit better than him. With Joe and maybe Tom Heaton and Fraser Foster, what you see is probably what you get.'

'Butland has not really had a chance to probe himself because of injury. But I like him and until he and others get in the England team, you never know how they will handle the pressure.'

Jack Butland is one the keepers currently behind Hart in the England pecking order 

Shilton is by no means convinced that Southgate's blind reliance on Hart is the right move. 

'I think Gareth Southgate has got to play Jack Butland over the next few games before the World Cup,' he said. 

'It's not a foregone thing with Joe in my opinion. He obviously has competition now and Gareth definitely has to give Jack a game and take it from there depending on how he performs.' 

In Shilton's time, when he was vying for the England No. 1 spot with Ray Clemence, England were the envy of the world when it came to top goalkeepers. Not any longer.

'We've got five (England) goalkeepers at present and it's good to have that competition. But to be honest, when I look at goalkeeping now, some of the technique that I would probably have used myself has disappeared,' says Shilton who is bringing out a video next year entitled Shilton's Secrets. 

'It's about standards. With goalkeepers you can't afford to have too many weaknesses.'

Hart's irregular form with the World Cup only nine months away is not Shilton's only concern. England, he says, no longer have enough real leaders, if any at all.

Despite winning on Saturday, Hart has struggled since joining West Ham on loan this summer 

'We need to look stronger defensively all round. We need to change it up because we can look vulnerable and tend to make errors at the wrong times. 

'Attacking wise don't think we're too bad but we need real defenders, people who first and foremost can defend. If they can play a little bit of football too, fine but that's secondary to me.'

England's lack of leadership, says Hart, starts with the goalkeeping position, whoever is between the sticks. Without it, he says, England's woeful record in major tournaments will continue.

'My first line of defence was always my mouth. I used to talk to people. We need a lot more communication and leadership. I don't know why it's gone out of the game but it sometimes appears to me we don't have enough of it.

'If we're going to have a chance of going to major tournaments and winning trophies, I'd like to see a lot more talking and taking responsibility than I currently see.'