Arsenal legend David Seaman has heaped praise on Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford after his display for England in a 3-2 win over Spain on Monday night.
Pickford has been a revelation since cementing his place as England’s number one but almost dropped a massive clanger against Spain.
He tried to take Rodrigo on in his box, got his feet mixed up and lost the ball, only to get away with what looked like a stonewall penalty as he tried to recover.
With the score at 3-1 in the 63rd minute that could have had a huge impact on the game.
Talking on talkSPORT (Alan Brazil Breakfast Show, Wednesday, 6am) Seaman praised the 24-year-old keeper but implored Pickford not to repeat his mistake again.
“He’s very entertaining to watch,” Seaman said. “Even in the brilliance he’s got with distribution and some of the saves he makes, there’s another aspect when you think, ‘What’s he doing there?’.
“An England goalkeeper talking about doing a Cruyff turn in the box… Please don’t do that again. It was a pen all day long by the way.
“He has great ability and his distribution is amazing… he can put the ball anywhere he wants to.
“There’s still stuff he needs to learn but he’s 24 and played in a World Cup semi-final.”
OPINION
There was something very comical about Pickford’s attempt at what he called a Cruyff turn in an interview after the game against Spain. However, if Spain had scored from it – and they should have been awarded a penalty – England fans might not have found it so funny. They’re the risks you take when you have a keeper who wants to play from the back and Pickford will hopefully learn from this and work out when to look for a killer pass and when to put his foot through the ball. Seaman is right though, his distribution is amazing and having him spraying passes from the back gives England another edge to their attack. The best attacking teams, like Liverpool and Man City, all play with a keeper who can play with the ball at his feet and pass it, and England are now looking to do the same. After the 3-2 win against Spain there’s a new-found optimism about the team which will only build now as we hurtle towards the 2020 Euros.