Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford spoke to England manager Thomas Tuchel after the 1-0 win at Manchester United
England number one Jordan Pickford has lifted the lid on what national team manager Thomas Tuchel said to him at Old Trafford after watching Everton’s 1-0 win over Manchester United.
Despite having Idrissa Gueye sent off after just 13 minutes for slapping team-mate Michael Keane in the face – an action that the Senegal international has now apologised for – the Blues, who had already lost captain Seamus Coleman through injury, clung on to their lead from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s 29th minute strike.
In doing so, David Moyes’ men became the first visiting side reduced to 10 men to secure victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in over 33 years of Premier League football. Watching the historic occasion was Three Lions boss Tuchel, who was pictured chatting to Pickford and other English players like Jack Grealish and James Garner in the tunnel after the game.
The goalkeeper, who has now been awarded 81 caps while at Everton and extended his sequence of consecutive clean sheets to 10, having already broken Gordon Banks’ 59-year record, before being rested for the dead rubber in Albania last time out in the final World Cup qualifier. Regarding Tuchel’s appearance at Old Trafford, Pickford said: “Yeah, I spoke to him and Anthony Barry (his Liverpool-born assistant manager). It’s nice to see them.
“I was only with them a week ago but to come down and stay in touch us is a nice feeling. They’ll be on the end of the phone, and they’ll be monitoring us as well, so it was good.”
In terms of whether Tuchel had nice things to say to one of his star players after a sparkling display in which he made some stunning saves to deny Joshua Zirkzee and Bryan Mbeumo, Pickford quipped: “Yeah, he asked how my leg was after kicking it that much!”
Despite having started both of Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifying wins in the last international break of the calendar year, club captain Coleman, who was making his first Premier League start since the 2-0 win over Southampton on May 18 for Everton’s final game at Goodison Park, lasted barely 10 minutes before having to go off with a hamstring injury. It was a cruel blow for the 37-year-old on the night he joined former team-mate Leon Osman and the Blues’ all-time leading goalscorer Dixie Dean in the top 10 on the club’s all-time appearance list (433 matches).
Pickford said: “I was devastated for Seamie because everyone knows what type of lad he is, everyone knows how hard working he is and he thoroughly deserved his chance (only) to come off injured but then Jake’s straight on and puts in a great shift. That’s what a team is, don’t dwell on not getting picked, be ready when you get called upon and that's what all the subs did tonight.”