Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has admitted that Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been winning him over with his performances for both club and country after deeming him a huge gamble for the Three Lions prior to the World Cup.
The Toffees shot stopper has established himself as Gareth Southgate’s number one choice between the sticks since his move to Goodison Park from Sunderland, and starts England’s crunch Nations League clash against Croatia on Sunday.
Speaking ahead of the Three Lions’ match at Wembley, Neville revealed he thought giving the 24-year-old the role in the starting XI was a risk, but one which has paid off handsomely.
He told Sky Sports’ coverage of the game (18/11, 13:00): “I thought he was a risk before the World Cup, it was one of the points I was most nervous about.
“International football suits him a lot in terms of the way the team play, the fact you do get a little bit more time to play out from the back.
“I was nervous before the World Cup but he’s winning me over slowly, he’s not my idea of what a keeper would be – I always thought a keeper should be dominant – but there are so many keepers of his ilk and his stature and his ability and the way that they play, you have to change with the times.”
Opinion
Things have changed massively from when Neville was playing in a defence ahead of the likes of Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar, when a goalkeeper’s one and only priority was to stop the opposition from scoring. Now they play a huge role in building out from the back, using both their short and long range passing ability to feed their teammates and get attacks moving quickly. That is where Pickford has really established himself among the elite of goalkeepers in the Premier League and why Southgate has made him England’s number one between the sticks. No one else in the Three Lions’ squad has shown that ability for club or country and both Everton and England are thriving as a result of his abilities. He might not have been a goalkeeper during his time but it is good to see that Neville appreciates what the Toffees man brings to his side and at 24 he has plenty of time to continue showing off his talents at the back.