Jordan Pickford is one of Everton’s most important players, and the goalkeeper’s long stint at the club has made him an iconic figure.
The Englishman can often receive unfair criticism and is often underrated, with Wayne Rooney believing the latter is the case.
The former Everton forward believes Pickford is one of the best in the world, and according to Theo Walcott, the 31-year-old is still improving.
The shot-stopper looks set to sign a new deal at Everton, but just a couple of years ago, he almost left to join another Premier League side.
Jordan Pickford smiling and giving a thumbs up
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Everton discussed sending Jordan Pickford on loan to Manchester United in 2023
Jordan Pickford is a Premier League-level player, and the Englishman having to step down to play in the second tier is quite a ridiculous thought.
He is one of the best in the world, and he deserves to play in the highest competitions, and Everton seem to agree with that assessment.
While Everton were battling relegation in the 2022/2023 season, and it looked like a possibility they could go down, the board discussed a deal that would see Pickford move to Manchester United on loan should they finish in the bottom three.
That is according to a new report by the Daily Mail.
Jordan Pickford in action for Everton
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The information says, “In the spring of 2023, when Everton were clinging by their fingertips to their Premier League status, they had to consider what might happen if the trapdoor opened beneath them.
“Retaining Pickford in the Championship, ahead of a season that was going to culminate with a Euros, wouldn’t have been feasible. So discussions took place that involved him going on loan to Manchester United and James Trafford, of their rivals Manchester City, going on loan to Everton.”
Ultimately, the Toffees did avoid the drop, and Pickford stayed at the club.
However, things could have turned out very differently for Pickford, Trafford and all the clubs involved had it not been for the ‘keeper’s heroics.
Jordan Pickford secured his Everton future with penalty save against Leicester City
Interestingly, Jordan Pickford set the course for his future with an excellent penalty save against Leicester City two years ago.
The Foxes were relegation rivals during the 2022/2023 season, and the Blues almost lost a crucial match against them.
With just five games left, Everton needed to get big results, and Pickford stepped up to be the hero.
Leicester City were handed a penalty in the first 45 minutes,with Dean Smith’s side already 2-1 up. If they had scored, it would have been a difficult task to overturn a two-goal deficit.
However, Pickford would save James Maddison’s penalty, and in the second half, Alex Iwobi found the equaliser.
The draw turned out to be a crucial point in the end. Everton finished just two points above Leicester City, who ended in 18th place.
A win on the day for the Foxes would have positioned them level on points with the Merseyside club, and with Leicester having a better goal difference, Everton would have gone down.
Football works in mysterious ways, but supporters of the Toffees will revere Jordan Pickford, and his abilities between the sticks changed the fortunes of Everton and kept him at the club.
Talk about a possible butterfly effect.