Micah Richards column

By Micah Richards Manchester City and England defender

Some people might think England have a shortage of top-class goalkeepers but I disagree - we have quite a few of them.

The biggest problem for England coach Fabio Capello is picking the best one and sticking with him because it does not do your team much good if you chop and change.

My top three right now for the squad to play France on 26 March would be Portsmouth's David James as number one, then Joe Hart of Manchester City and Aston Villa's Scott Carson - in that order.

Jamo is somebody for the younger keepers to learn off - he has been there and done it and learned from his mistakes

But it is so difficult to choose those three. Manchester United's Ben Foster is level with Harty and Carson, for me, and Tottenham's Paul Robinson is still class too.

Jamo is one of the best keepers in the world though. He is so big, strong and athletic. He has been error-prone before but he has really brushed up on that now. His all-round game is fantastic.

I have known him since I was a kid at Manchester City and, when you play with somebody, you appreciate how good they are.

We have always had a bit of banter too, and even had the odd argument, but he has always been able to laugh it off, which I appreciated.

When I first broke into the first team, we used to have a session every Friday before a game where Stephen Ireland would cross the ball in and the players would challenge the keeper to see if they could win headers.

Back then, everyone used to talk about how high I could leap - they used to call me the salmon - and I won the majority of headers against Jamo which I was happy about.

I used to out-jump him and put him on his backside. He didn't like it much and would kick the ball away in frustration.

It is fair to say he can be a bit eccentric at times but he is a great character and so good to have around in the dressing room.

The only question mark over him is whether he will still be the best when the 2010 World Cup finals come around, when he will be almost 40.

And, if we are looking for a team for the future, then this is when you have to try out new players.

But he is somebody for the younger keepers to learn off - he has been there and done it and learned from his mistakes - and, at present, I would pick him all day.

If we are going on form, my City team-mate Harty should have been in the full squad, not the under-21s.

He has great ability and it shows his character and determination that he is a first-choice Premier League keeper at such a young age.

His all-round game for someone who is only 20 is very consistent. He communicates well with his back four, his kicking has improved and his shot-stopping is excellent.

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There is a lot of pressure on England goalkeepers at the moment because of the mistakes that have been made in the past.

But it is down to the individual's character on how they cope with that or how they bounce back. We all remember the mistake Carson made in the European Championship qualifier against Croatia but look how well he has played for Aston Villa this season.

I have known Joe a few years now. We played together for England Under-19s before he joined City from Shrewsbury in 2006.

From the day I met him, we got on. He is very down to earth and that is one of the things everyone likes about him.

He reads this column so I wanted to give him some stick but there is not much dirt to dig up on him - although he deserves some grief for being a Shrewsbury Town fan!

Harty has had a lot of challenges already this season - to win his place at City for a start.

He knows people are talking about him being called up to the full squad and I know how much he wants to be picked but he tries not to mention it, although he definitely deserves it.

• Micah Richards was talking to Chris Bevan