Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been speaking about the relentless scrutiny of being England number one plus the prospect of Gianluigi Donnarumma making a transfer to the Premier League
Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers speaks to Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Gianluigi Donnarumma ahead of the penalty shoot-out during the UEFA Euro 2020 final between England and Italy at Wembley Stadium on July 11, 2021
Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers speaks to Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Gianluigi Donnarumma ahead of the penalty shoot-out during the UEFA Euro 2020 final between England and Italy at Wembley Stadium on July 11, 2021
(Image: LAURENCE GRIFFITHS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Jordan Pickford believes the relentless scrutiny of being England number one goes with the territory and insists he just needs to keep playing well for Everton as the goalkeeping talent in this country is in safe hands.
Ahead of David Seaman and Joe Hart, the 31-year-old has now played 76 times now for England and is second only to Peter Shilton – their most-capped player of all-time – when it comes to goalkeepers representing the Three Lions. In all of this lengthy tenure, he officially hasn’t been at fault for conceding a single goal in a competitive match according to statisticians with Opta deeming that the only such mistake came on his 60th appearance on March 24 2024, in a friendly against Belgium.
Unlike Shilton, who unfortunately didn’t get close to any of West Germany’s efforts at Italia ‘90 as Bobby Robson’s side missed out on a place in the World Cup final, Pickford has saved at least one penalty in each of four shoot-outs with England, including two in the European Championship final against Italy in 2021 and he even scored the pressure fifth kick in a 6-5 victory over Switzerland in 2019. He has also already broken Shilton’s record for the most clean sheets for an England goalkeeper in major tournaments.
Pickford hasn’t conceded three goals for England in his last 56 games, but Dean Henderson did in just his second start for his country when he became the latest understudy to fluff his lines in the 3-1 loss against Senegal in June, including being nutmegged at the near most with the ball ricocheting into the net off his leg. Yet for some reason, many in the national media seem to have it in for the Everton goalkeeper, a phenomenon that Neville Southall and the late Kevin Campbell both dubbed “a witch hunt.”
The Blues ace himself is unfazed though and said: “I think there will always be questions. I think the only one there isn’t questions about in an England shirt is Harry Kane.
“There’s competition for places all over. You’re always going to have that, you’ve got to thrive on that and you’ve got to step up to the plate and improve yourself.
“Don’t let anyone take your shirt, it’s yours to hold on to and keep improving. It’s about putting performances on for Everton’s badge, which will lead me to be successful for England’s badge.”
The majority of first choice goalkeepers in the English top flight are from overseas but while Pickford insists he would welcome another one with Paris Saint-Germain’s Italy international Gianluigi Donnarumma being linked with a move to the Premier League, he believes there is still a strong domestic pool of talent. The 31-year-old said: “Yeah, I’d like to see Donnarumma in the Premier League.
“You want to be looking at the other end, facing the best keepers, and enjoying that experience. You know, I’ve faced them for England a few times as well but when you see top keepers in the league, it’s good.
“Donnarumma’s performance against Arsenal last year at the Emirates, they are probably the best couple of saves you’ll probably see one low down from Odegaard especially. And he’s only 26 and has been playing since he was 16.
“So people like the top keepers, the likes of Courtois as well, everyone's different. You don't aspire to be them.
“You want to be the best version of yourself. Everyone's got different traits, everyone’s got different strengths.”
Jordan Pickford and Gianluigi Donnarumma ahead of the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match between England and Italy at Wembley Stadium on October 17, 2023
Jordan Pickford and Gianluigi Donnarumma ahead of the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match between England and Italy at Wembley Stadium on October 17, 2023
(Image: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
Pickford added: “Me and Deano (Henderson) start every week then you’ve got Trafford at City and Popey and Ramsdale at Newcastle, so you've got top keepers there having the opportunity. We just do our best, but I think we've got a good set of goalkeepers in an England shirt.
“But there's some top keepers all over the world, and you know, their ambition will be to play in the Premier League, like it is for most English keepers, it’s the best league in the world.
“So you’ve got Alisson at Liverpool, one of the best keepers in the world, and Donnarumma is probably at this moment in time. What he did at PSG the last year, he’s probably the best keeper in the world, and his ambition is the Premier League and I think he'll get snapped up.”
There have been claims from some observers suggesting that Henderson should be England number one were reiterated after his saves his Palace’s Community Shield win over Liverpool earlier this month, following similar suggestions on the back of his clean sheet against Manchester City in last season’s FA Cup final. Such praise is in sharp contrast to Pickford being given a 3/10 rating by talkSPORT in June when keeping a clean sheet in the 1-0 win over Andorra, remarking that his low score was due to “failing to do anything special with the ball at his feet.”
Pickford’s footwork is among the best in the business though for those in his position and he understands that is an important part of the skillset for modern goalkeepers. He said: “I think back in the day, it was all about making saves, and it's kind of become an all-round thing. An all around part of the goalkeeping thing is you've got different areas where you need to be good.
“Playing out with your feet, or being able to kick a ball is an aspect of the game now. And if you're not good, people work on it, and that's part of the game.
“But I think our main thing is, I think we get paid for keeping the ball out the back of the net. So, it is a fine balance, I would say, being good at your goalkeeping is number one then everything else is an added extra and if you've got them all, then you’re ticking all the boxes.”
Given this, what gives Pickford the most pleasure, pinging a 60-yard diagonal pass to someone’s feet or making a top-class save? He said: “I think a top-class save.
“I think I’ve got the tools to make those diagonals. But making those saves, helping your team-mates out, you don't get a better buzz than that.”