Michael Owen reckons that Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is “clinging onto the England gloves” purely because there is no one else around to challenge him.
The former Liverpool forward said that it has been an “up and down” season for the £100,000-a-week [Spotrac] star after his success at the World Cup in the summer, and said that he is hanging onto the number one spot for England because there is “no one breathing down his neck”.
He added that it is not quite clear what direction the Toffees are going in this term after a number of mixed results.
“Pickford, everybody was singing all of the England player’s praises after the World Cup, I don’t know, I think it has been an up and down season for him and Everton in general, nobody is quite sure about their direction just at the moment,” he said on BBC 5 Live Sport.
“He has had an okay season, he’s clinging onto the England gloves as there is not many breathing down his neck at the minute.”
"This is going to be a huge game – they always are."
We've got the small matter of a Merseyside derby on Sunday afternoon…
Can #EFC put a spanner in #LFC's title hopes? pic.twitter.com/stHGLTicLU
— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) March 1, 2019
OPINION
After the successes of the World Cup – and Pickford’s heroic displays for England – many Everton fans no doubt thought that they had one of the best goalkeepers around when Pickford returned. However, it seems like he has not been able to live up to the hype of his success, and as a result has definitely not been at his best this season, much to the fan’s dismay. Owen is right though, Pickford is clinging onto the number one spot purely because the other goalkeepers around him are not particularly impressing at the moment. He should be grateful for this after the form he has been in this campaign, and he will have to make sure that he makes no other crucial errors that could cost him his spot in the next course of international games. There is no doubting that he is a quality keeper – it is the hype of the summer that has no doubt got to him.