ENGLAND boss Gareth Southgate said Tom Heaton's 'outstanding season' is why the Clarets captain has been picked to start for the Three Lions against France on Tuesday night.

The Burnley No.1 will make his first England start in the Pairs friendly before Stoke City's Jack Butland takes on the goalkeeping duties for the second half.

Heaton takes over from Joe Hart who came under criticism for both goals as he conceded against Scotland in the weekend 2-2 draw.

But Southgate insisted he had always intended to share game time between Heaton and Butland against France.

He said: "I said on Saturday it was never my intention to play Joe in this game.

"Tom Heaton will start the game and Jack Butland will play the second half."

"Tom's had an outstanding season.

"We've got to maintain the squad environment that people feel involved. That goalkeeping situation, we need to give players an opportunity, game time.

"I think in the past one or two goalkeepers have sort of given up international football because they've not had that chance, so I'm conscious of keeping people involved."

Butland has been sidelined since he fractured his ankle while on England duty in 2015, forcing him to miss Euro 2016 and most of the domestic campaigns since, although he did return towards the end of the Premier League season.

Southgate said: "Jack is coming back from a long lay-off, was the number two before that but hasn't had the amount of game time perhaps up to now, but we think he can challenge for the number one slot moving forward."

Southgate named four goalkeepers in his squad for the games with Scotland and France with Southampton's Fraser Forster the other.

Heaton kept 10 clean sheets for Burnley in the Premier League last season and made a league high number of saves (141).

His England debut came as a late substitute against Australia ahead of last summer's European Championships before be played the second half of a friendly draw with Spain at Wembley in November last year.

Heaton became Burnley's first England international in 42 years with his three minute cameo against the Aussies and has since been followed into the Three Lions side by Turf defender Michael Keane who misses the France trip through injury.