Former Everton manager David Moyes has said that Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford needs to do some developing ‘maturity-wise’.
The England number one has come under fire somewhat recently following a dodgy run of form, while he caught some criticism for sticking his tongue out at Newcastle United supporters last weekend.
Moyes has had his say: “When I had Jordan at Sunderland I always thought he was number one,” he told beIN SPORTS. “Vito Mannone was in at the time, got injured, gave him a chance to get in. When Jordan got injured for a few games and I put Vito in, the minute Jordan was fit I got him back in the team.
“I think Jordan needs to keep playing. I think Jordan Pickford makes saves and I think he’s made some mistakes, but he’s young. He’s still got a lot of development to go, I think, maturity-wise.”
Moyes explains what he'd do with an out-of-form Jordan Pickford!#beINPL #EVECHE ? HD11 pic.twitter.com/B9ltvXFLmv
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) March 17, 2019
OPINION
Moyes likely isn’t the only one with this opinion of Pickford at the moment. The Three Lions star is undergoing far and away his worst season as a professional, and there’s cause for real concern these days. Having said that, he bounced back with a fine display against Chelsea on Sunday, especially in the first half when the Blues really put Everton under the cosh. So that was encouraging, but some worries remain around the 25-year-old. He does seem slightly childish at times, while it’s clear that he enjoys barking at opposition players and referees. While that could be termed ‘leadership’, it’s not a positive thing if those traits boil over into his actual performances between the sticks. Moyes is probably right, he does have some development to do in terms of his maturity. He needs to calm down at times and just take things as they come. That will likely come with time, but for now he just needs to find his form once again.