George Pickford and Douglass Lukjanciks are both set to get important opportunities to develop over the coming months
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Everton’s latest loan deal could help drive the progress of two of the academy’s most promising talents.
George Pickford moved to Southport FC last week, the teenage goalkeeper looking to build on a positive season with the Under-21s by earning his first taste of senior football in the National League North. He enjoyed a stunning introduction on Saturday, winning man of the match as he helped his new side to a 5-1 win over Hereford United.
His step into the men’s game will not only help his development but should also aid that of fellow Everton teenager Douglass Lukjanciks, who is best-placed to take on Pickford’s responsibilities with the U21s.
Pickford’s move showed immediate signs of success at Haig Avenue as the 19-year-old was thrust straight into the first XI for a huge game in Southport’s battle against relegation. He was called upon repeatedly in a first half the club’s own match report later conceded could have ended with the hosts 4-0 down.
Instead, a string of fine saves had kept Hereford out and laid the foundation for what became an emphatic victory. Pickford only lost his clean sheet through a late penalty that came with the game already won for the Sandgrounders.
After the match, Southport manager Neil Danns hailed his new shotstopper. He said: “I thought he was outstanding… We weren’t at the races in the first half and he had to get us out of a couple of sticky situations. It is testament to the work Everton have been doing with him and I feel really fortunate that we have now got him until, hopefully, the end of the season.”
The hope is that Pickford will continue to impress as he tests himself in competitive football for the first time. He had already made strides forward this season and had regularly trained with the first team goalkeeping unit - a duty that intensified when Harry Tyrer moved to Cardiff City in a permanent deal in January.
Of that experience, Pickford said last week - when he signed a two-year extension before moving out on loan: “My development has come on a lot over the past few years, especially from training with the first-team lads and getting more confidence when I’m with them.
“They help me a lot when I’m up there and it gives me a little boost to keep going.”
Pickford will continue to train with Everton’s first-team unit while he is at Southport - so will still be able to call on Jordan Pickford, who is no relation, for advice and guidance as he looks to build a career in the game.
His presence at Finch Farm should also enable him to continue as a mentor to Lukjanciks who, like George Pickford, has England youth experience. Aged 18, Lukjanciks has had some minutes for the U21s but has been a fixture for Keith Southern’s Under-18s this season.
The highlight of the campaign so far came when he stopped all three penalties in Everton’s FA Youth Cup shootout win over West Ham United at Goodison Park last month. The teenager, known for his meticulous attention to detail, has a growing reputation for saving from 12 yards and later conceded his heroics had been down to extensive planning. He said: “There was a lot of work behind the scenes. We analysed their players – what they do, how they approach penalties, and then from there it's just following the script.”
Lukjanciks had the captain’s armband on Thursday night as the U18s booked their place in the quarter-finals of the competition through an extra-time win over Ipswich Town at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
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He is also likely to now take on the job of helping Everton’s U21s progress in the Premier League International Cup after Paul Tait’s side qualified for the knockout stages with an emphatic win over RB Leipzig last month.
There has been a sense for a while that Lukjanciks, who made his first start for England’s U19s earlier this season, is ready to move up an age group. Like Pickford, he has trained with the first team at times - joining the senior squad on an early pre-season camp in Scotland last summer.
“His attitude is brilliant,” one source told the ECHO after that breakout display against West Ham. “He is a really good shot stopper so he saves a lot. He is a good talker and a good team-mate to have - he wants the best for all of the players. He is a winner, too.”
That competitiveness should serve him well now that he is about to fight on two fronts with the U21s and U18s as Pickford’s opportunity at Southport provides another promising talent with more room to grow.
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