Everton keeper Jordan Pickford will never lose England shirt to Nick Pope under Gareth Southgate
Jordan Pickford won’t “ever” lose his England shirt to Nick Pope under Gareth Southgate according to Paul Brown after the Everton star missed the 3-3 draw with Germany.
The Toffees keeper missed out on a call-up to the national team for the Nations League games this time around after sustaining an injury in his stand out performance in the Merseyside derby on 3 September.
Newcastle’s Pope started the defeat in Italy on Friday (23 September) and the draw with Germany at Wembley on Monday night, and was at fault for Kai Havertz’s late equaliser, prompting former Daily Star reporter Brown to make his strong prediction.
On his personal Twitter account after the goal to make the score 3-3 he wrote: “I like Nick Pope. But I can’t see him ever taking the shirt from Pickford. Not under this manager. Tonight just offers more evidence why that is”.
You don’t say
Pope is a decent keeper, as is Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale, but it is pretty ridiculous that it always seems to take Pickford to be absent for people to realise he is England’s number one for a reason.
Even when he puts in starring performances like the one he did against Liverpool he somehow attracts criticism from someone, this time being Graeme Souness.
But while he isn’t faultless he is clearly one of the first names on the team sheet for club and country when he is fit.
Frank Lampard wants him available for selection just as much as Southgate does, and with the latter currently under pressure due to Nations League relegation, and the former currently building something after going through the same stresses last season, both will be desperate to have the 28-year-old in their side when it matters this season and at the World Cup.
Asmir Begovic is an able stand-in, but Pickford will be straight back into the Toffees team when he is fit after the international break, and there has been nothing from the two most recent performances from the Three Lions to suggest any reason that the former Sunderland man won’t also be straight on the plane to Qatar.
Southgate has his detractors despite leading England to their two best tournament finishes in a generation or two, and in some cases it is justified, but his choice in goal is one decision he has got right throughout his time in charge.