Jordan Pickford future at Everton may be safe after David de Gea Manchester United comments
Jordan Pickford remaining as Everton keeper looks all the more likely after David de Gea’s comments on his Manchester United future.
The Toffees’ England number one has emerged as a potential replacement for the long-time Old Trafford starter who is currently inside the final year of his contract.
In the Telegraph on 24 September the former Sunderland man was reported as in the frame should the hierarchy in Manchester decide against exercising their extra year option with de Gea, or offering him an extension due to concerns over a spiralling wage bill.
However, the 31-year-old’s comments to BT Sport after his side’s 2-1 victory at Goodison Park on Sunday evening (9 October), via talkSPORT, suggest that won’t happen. He said: “I’m just very focused on the games helping the team as much as I can.
“Of course, I would like to be here for more years, so let’s see what happens in the future. I’m really, really happy here.”
It will of course take more than intent on the player’s side to make sure he remains at the club for multiple seasons, but it shows that the intent is there in a way that it perhaps wasn’t when he came close to leaving for Real Madrid in the past.
And at his age he could feasibly be a top-level keeper for another five years or more, a period which Frank Lampard and the other powers that be at Goodison would much prefer to have Pickford at their disposal than searching for a replacement.
At 28 the Toffees star is in his prime currently, and with some of his performances early in this campaign and late in the previous one he is showing that more and more regularly.
Often criticised for his temperament and rash errors over his career, the Three Lions starter is now more frequently the centre of attention for heroics at the back in big games, as with the 0-0 draw in the Merseyside derby this year (3 September), or the 1-0 win over Chelsea (1 May).
Without Pickford and Richarlison Everton wouldn’t have survived the relegation battle last season, so with the Brazilian gone it is more important that Pickford sticks around.
Lampard is building something encouraging at Goodison based on the signs recently, despite the sluggish loss to de Gea’s United side at the weekend.
Knowing he has a big personality who can turn in equally-sized performances in goal is a vital element of that, and arguably the foundation for which the newly-improved defensive line is built on.
The visiting keeper’s comments on Sunday night look like good news for fans of his Everton counterpart, as the chances of Pickford leaving should Erik ten Hag’s side come knocking have been tipped as considerable.