Everton have surprisingly chosen to recall George Pickford from his loan spell at Southport.
The England U18 international was performing well for the National League side, making ten saves in a fantastic 5-1 win over Hereford on his debut, before featuring in a 0-0 draw and a 1-1 draw against Buxton and Kidderminster respectively.
However, an injury to Mark Travers has now seen Everton recall the 19-year-old to provide backup for Jordan Pickford, a decision that should irritate the England international and George Pickford himself.
Does David Moyes need to put more trust in Everton’s academy players? 😤
Surely some of these players can do better than Beto and Dwight McNeil! 😡
Everton striker Braiden Graham. Everton manager David Moyes.
Credit: Getty Images/Andrew Kearns – CameraSport/Visionhaus.
Everton have just disturbed the progress of George Pickford for no reason
David Moyes is clearly worried after Travers suffered an injury, but there was no need to recall the teenager from Southport and disturb his development.
Pickford is incredibly reliable for the Toffees, racking up 347 appearances in total since his £30m move from Sunderland in 2017 as he rarely finds himself injured or suspended – so Everton are highly unlikely to need to call upon his young namesake.
Even if there was a surprise period of absence, Tom King is still at Everton. The 30-year-old featured in the Premier League for Wolves last season and is 11 years older than Pickford, so you would assume he would be the first option to step in between the posts.
It means Everton have basically recalled Pickford for no other reason than sheer anxiety after the injury to Travers. He was even in attendance for the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United and given the No.50 shirt, but left out of the matchday squad, which is telling.
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Pickford senior may even be annoyed just as much as his namesake potentially is, having been working closely alongside the talent born in Preston at Finch Farm to try and help speed up his development.
The fact Everton have now undone some of that work by bringing him back to sit on the sideline is sure to be a source of frustration for both Pickfords – who have no relation.
Even if Pickford and King did somehow both join Travers in the treatment room, Pickford junior was only down the road at Southport – so the decision to recall him feels premature.
Harrison Armstrong situation proves Everton need to think harder before triggering a recall
Pickford is not the only young talent Moyes has recalled in 2026.
Harrison Armstrong was also recalled from his loan spell at Preston in January, and has proceeded to make six starts in the Premier League after impressing.
However, Moyes keeps fielding the 19-year-old on the left of the attack, despite the teenager spending most of his career so far playing in central midfield. Unsurprisingly, no goals or assists have been recorded since his recall.
With each passing game where Armstrong fails to deliver in this position, his confidence will shrink.
Contrastingly, the England U19 international was performing well at Preston playing exclusively in central areas.
Has Harrison Armstrong done enough to stay at Everton? 🤔
Harrison Armstrong vs Aston Villa.
Armstrong therefore probably would have been better off staying at Deepdale for the rest of the season, and we can only hope Pickford is sent back to Southport soon before his development takes a hit too.
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