Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford could be in for a rude awakening after England head coach Thomas Tuchel made a big claim about his preferences.
Despite Everton’s 13th-place Premier League finish, the shot-stopper was sensational last season, keeping 12 clean sheets, which was only bettered by Matz Sels and David Raya.
Everton fans think they would be in League One without Jordan Pickford, which is a clear sign of how much they appreciate his contributions to the club since signing in 2017.
Pickford has been part of the England national team setup since 2017, just a couple of months after he signed for the Toffees. He has been the Three Lions’ undisputed number one ever since.
Jamie Carragher named Pickford as Everton’s Player of the Season, an evident sign that he should keep his place in the England squad. However, a recent comment from Thomas Tuchel has put his spot in jeopardy.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Tuchel took over as England head coach following Gareth Southgate’s resignation and Lee Carsley’s interim spell. The German selected Pickford in the squad for the latest round of international games, having played in Tuchel’s first two matches as head coach.
However, Tuchel recently stated that he expects his goalkeepers to be playing European football, putting Pickford’s selection in any other England squads in doubt.
From the Telegraph, Tuchel said that it would be “ideal” if one of his goalkeepers was playing European football next season.
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That gives the likes of Dean Henderson and Newcastle United target James Trafford a much better chance of becoming England’s number one in the near future.
Speaking to the press ahead of England’s game against Andorra, Tuchel said: “All three of our goalkeepers are not involved in European football, they’re not used to European football which would be ideal.
“It’s not a problem, Jordan behaves and trains at the highest level and we’re very, very happy with him.
“He’s doing everything at the moment to keep his place because he feels that Dean stepped up and found another level, another gear. He also found a title and a decisive role at Crystal Palace. He got an important and vital title for his club and he was a big figure in this campaign. This helped his confidence a lot.
“Then we have the very young James Trafford, who played a fantastic, record-breaking campaign with Burnley and got clean sheets. Hopefully he can prove himself next season in the Premier League and then the race is on. It will always be a fight for every position, there is no exception for the goalkeepers.
“At the moment Jordan is in a good place mentally and performance-wise. It helped him to stabilise himself at Everton with the change of manager with David Moyes he became very, very stable and also emotionally stable and we’re very happy with that at the moment.”
A standout player for yet another season, Pickford deserves to be England’s first-choice goalkeeper as he has been for so many years.
Alan Shearer called Pickford a “difference maker” for his performance against Newcastle on the final day of the Premier League season. The 31-year-old made several vital stops to keep a clean sheet and give Everton three points on the road to end the season on a high.
Tuchel’s comments suggest that Pickford may have to move on from Everton in the future, but the shot-stopper has made no indication that he sees his future anywhere other than Merseyside.
David Moyes is a huge fan of Pickford and believes he does not get the credit he deserves because he plays for a team lower down in the table. His comments are a clear indication of how he feels toward the words of Tuchel, which will not go down well with the Everton fans.