Jordan Pickford looking annoyed for England towards a circle inset of Thomas Tuchel
Jordan Pickford looking annoyed for England towards a circle inset of Thomas Tuchel
The 32-year-old is hoping to move two games closer to reaching 100 caps for England during this November international break.
England take on Croatia and Spain in the UEFA Nations League, with the Three Lions needing just one point to cement their play-off qualification place.
Back on Merseyside, Pickford has remained Everton's undisputed number one goalkeeper under David Moyes this season.
However, his position as England's number one has never felt more under threat than it does now.
As such, it will be fascinating to see how Tuchel approaches these two Nations League games regarding his shot-stopping department.
What did Jordan Pickford say that left Thomas Tuchel 'very impressed'?
During the most recent international break over September and October, Tuchel rotated his goalkeepers.
Leeds' James Trafford started the first two games against Spain and Czechia, before Pickford got the nod for Croatia and Czechia again.
Indeed, it's Trafford who has emerged as Pickford's big rival for the England number one jersey, and looks to be the natural successor at some point.
As a result, it may just be a case of how long Pickford can hold the Leeds talent off for.
Quoted via The Athletic on Monday, however, the Toffees keeper still has plenty of favour with Tuchel, which has only increased further recently.
"I was very impressed and a bit surprised by his reaction when we spoke to him," Tuchel said when speaking on when he told Pickford of his plan to rotate with Trafford.
"I thought he’d be less of a fan than he proved to be. Because he said he totally understands it.
"He impressed me a lot last time. We spoke to him, it was a very short conversation. It was very positive.
"He said ‘yeah, let’s do this, Traff deserves it, and I will push him’. And he didn’t change at all.
"If he changed, he changed even to the positive, he pushed Traff, he gave him a good feeling. So very impressive, he did it very well."
So, how do the two England goalkeepers' numbers compare with one another's in the Premier League this season?
How do Pickford and Trafford's save percentages compare?
Both Pickford and Trafford are the cemented starting shot-stoppers for both Everton and Leeds.
They've both started all 10 Premier League games so far this season for their respective clubs, and have both kept four clean sheets.
However, Trafford does just have the edge over Pickford on goals conceded, with the Whites keeper shipping eight to the Toffees star's 10.
Per FotMob, Pickford has a save percentage of 73.7 per cent in the Premier League this season, whilst no keeper in the division beats Trafford's 82.2 per cent.
Trafford also beats Pickford for saves made (37 to 28), times acted as a sweeper (19 to 10) and accurate long balls (80 to 67).
So, the numbers would suggest that Trafford deserves to be England's number one over Pickford.
But, the manner in which Pickford has conducted himself amid this fresh competition clearly means a lot to Tuchel, and that could be rewarded.