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'He has to perform' - Exclusive: Campbell shares Pickford verdict after being dropped by Everton
We’re delighted to welcome former Everton striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Goodison Park…
Kevin Campbell has claimed that Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is ‘back to his best’ after a rocky start to the season.
Pickford was dropped for his side’s trip to Newcastle earlier this season after making a string of errors in the Everton net.
Campbell believes the decision to drop Pickford has made the goalkeeper realise that he needs to perform ‘week in week out’ if he wants to remain in the first team.
Speaking to Goodison News, Campbell said, “I think Pickford had a good game against Leeds and he looked back to his best.”
“Of course it can have a positive effect [being dropped], Jordan Pickford probably realised that he has to perform. We’re talking about England’s number one goalkeeper here.
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“He knows what it entails, you’ve got to perform well and you’ve got to perform well week in week out or you’ve got somebody waiting in the wings who’s hungry to take your spot. That’s football.”
The England international made some fine stops against Leeds United but he was unable to stop Raphinha’s driven effort that gave the Whites a win over the Toffees.
Pickford has played every minute since he was dropped for November’s 2-1 loss to Newcastle as Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to drop the Everton stopper looks justified following Pickford’s upturn in form.
Something had to be done as the 26-year-old was a liability in the early stages of the season and was perhaps the only poor performer as Everton charged to the top of the Premier League.
Luckily his mistakes didn’t cost Everton as Dominic Calvert-Lewin was scoring plenty of goals at the other end of the pitch.
Pickford will need to perform as well as he can over the next few weeks as Everton look to put a poor run of form in the Premier League behind them and start to move up the table.
In other Everton news, Marcel Brands is highly likely to sign a new deal with the Toffees, according to a new report.