Danny Murphy warns Jordan Pickford of England snub if Everton are relegated
Danny Murphy has told Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford his England berth could be under threat should the Toffees get relegated from the Premier League.
The former Liverpool midfielder says Gareth Southgate would find it difficult to pick a stopper playing in the Championship as his number one, and that Pickford would have a big dilemma in the summer should the worst happen.
Speaking on talkSPORT, as relayed by ChronicleLive (25 April), Murphy also said Pickford would need to speak with the Three Lions boss about his international chances.
“I think it would be hard for Southgate to pick a number one who is playing in the Championship even if he is playing well, over someone who is playing well in the Premier League,” he told the radio station.
“He could be putting his World Cup place in jeopardy. You have to remember if you have a couple of bad games in the Championship then you definitely can’t be chosen.
“You can be forgiven a little bit in the Premier League because of the quality of the opposition you’re up against and it would be a huge conundrum for Jordan if Everton were to go down.
“Part of him would be thinking ‘stay and be loyal for a season’ but if it’s going to put your England place at risk, he’d have to have a word with Gareth.”
Big Decision
Pickford’s future would be just the tip of the iceberg in a whole host of problems the Everton hierarchy would have to deal with should the unthinkable happen come the end of the season.
It’s been a disastrous campaign for the Toffees and what was usually seen as a disappointment to finish mid-table would now be taken in an instant by any fan given the dire straits the club finds itself in.
Should they drop into the Championship a huge rebuilding job would be needed on a squad which contains several bumper contracts, and that’s not even considering the slim chances of most of these players wanting to stay on in England’s second tier.
Many of the squad are internationals and will be desperate to impress domestically to secure their places in the nation’s squads for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
Pickford is just one of those names who could give the club a real headache.
In other Everton news, Phil Neville has agreed with fans about the importance of Goodison for the run-in.
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