Jordan Pickford, Everton
Credit: Imago
Parth Jhaveri
Sat 22 March 2025 13:40, UK
Everton keeper Jordan Pickford was in action for England on Friday as the Three Lions managed a comfortable 2-0 win over Albania.
England kicked off their 2026 World Cup qualifiers with a comprehensive win over Albania at Wembley Stadium on 21 March as Myles Lewis-Skelly and Harry Kane scored.
Everton shot-stopper Pickford kept a clean sheet as Thomas Tuchel’s reign as England manager began on a positive note.
And the English media were in unison when commenting on Pickford’s performance during the 90 minutes against Sylvinho’s side.
Pickford has been Everton’s No.1 since 2017
Pickford with little to do in the entire game
Pickford was having an underwhelming campaign with Everton until David Moyes returned to the dugout. However, there were doubts regarding the Englishman remaining the No.1 keeper under Tuchel.
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However, those doubts were quashed as the 31-year-old started in goal in Tuchel’s first game as England manager.
The former Sunderland man had a very quiet evening at Wembley as hardly had any saves to make and was untroubled for most of the game.
The national media had the same outlook for Pickford’s performance as the 31-year-old recorded his 36th clean sheet in 74 appearances for England.
The Everton keeper broke Gordon Banks’ record of 35 clean sheets and has now moved to fourth on the list for most clean sheets for England.
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On Pickford’s performance, BBC stated in their match-ratings: “Barely had a save to make. His distribution was good as always.”
The Guardian commended Pickford’s distribution in their match-ratings, giving him a 6/10 for his display: “Distribution was solid. The keeper did not have to make a save. Ran over for a debrief with Tuchel after the first goal.”
The Express also commented on similar lines: “Had little to do, but still managed to get in a tangle under his own crossbar in the first half.”
The Standard stated on Pickford’s performance: “His start suggested he will continue as England’s No1 under Tuchel. Had no saves to make. One of his quieter Wembley outings.”
All four of those outlets gave Pickford the same 6/10 ratings.
Asmir Begovic is out of contract in the summer (Credit: Imago)
Everton may need new backup keepers
While Pickford remains the undisputed No.1 at Everton, the Toffees may soo need to find new backup keepers. The contracts of Joao Virginia and Asmir Begovic are expiring at the end of the season.
Virginia has made just two appearances this term – one in the FA Cup and one in the EFL Cup – keeping one clean sheet in the EFL Cup against Doncaster Rovers.
Begovic is Everton’s third-choice keeper, meanwhile, and has not made a single appearance for the Toffees.
The club management soon needs to decide whether the duo should be offered new deals or if they should be allowed to leave as free agents.
Everton should retain the services of both as they offer cheap solutions to the backup keeper problem. However, Virginia may decide to leave as the Portuguese is 25 years old and would prefer to play week in and week out, which won’t be possible at Everton for as long as Pickford is around.
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