The former England defender trained weekly as a goalkeeper when he was playing in the Premier League.
Nowadays, it is almost unheard of for a Premier League club to not have at least three goalkeepers in their squad, with many local keepers signing just to play in the number three position.
During the 2006/07 season, Sheffield United had four senior goalkeepers in their squad, with Paddy Kenny named as the club's number one.
They also had experience in the form of Ian Bennett and Paul Gerrard, with youngster Jamie Annerson also available when needed.
But there were times when none of them were named on the bench by manager Neil Warnock.
Instead, Warnock simply did not choose a back-up goalkeeper - handing the role to star defender Phil Jagielka.
In December 2006, Kenny was injured in a Premier League match against Arsenal at Bramall Lane with half an hour remaining.
Jagielka then donned the gloves and played in goal, making a number of impressive saves and keeping a clean sheet.
He was also confident in the air, coming off the touchline to deliver a number of crosses.
The remarkable part of the story is that Jagielka was one of the best defenders in the Premier League at the time and was being linked with a number of big clubs.
He then joined Everton after the Blades were relegated in 2007.
The reason Warnock trusted him as a back-up goalkeeper was because he recognised Jagielka's versatility - he could also play as a defensive midfielder - and that allowed him to make an attacking change rather than putting the goalkeeper in such a rare situation.
As it turned out, his approach worked against Arsenal, as the Blades won 1-0.
Phil Jagielka returned to Sheffield United for a second spell between 2019 and 2021 - Former Blades defender Greg Halford revealed in 2023 that Warnock would tell Jagielka, who has 40 England caps, to train once a week with the other goalkeeper.
Halford himself was then given the role of replacement following the centre-back's departure in the summer of 2007.
He told the Undr the Cosh podcast: “I think Neil Warnock is the first manager to do that.
He wouldn't put a reserve goalkeeper on the bench - he would just have five outfield players.
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