Ian Wright and Gary Neville sing praises of Everton star Jordan Pickford for what he did during England win v Senegal at World Cup
Everton star Jordan Pickford has been praised by Ian Wright and Gary Neville for his role in England’s 3-0 win over Senegal at the World Cup.
The Toffees stopper started in goal once again for Gareth Southgate’s side in the round of 16 and kept his third consecutive clean sheet of the tournament to help them progress into the quarter-finals, where they’ll face tournament favourites France on Saturday (10 December).
But it wasn’t all easy going for the Three Lions with Pickford forced into a big save in the first half, something that wasn’t missed by ITV pundits Ian Wright and Gary Neville during the half-time interval live on air, via the Daily Mail (5 December).
“It was worrying for about 35 minutes,” Wright said. “Like we thought they (Senegal) would, they pressed us (England) well, we didn’t have too many options, too much movement in the midfield and we made mistakes.
“We were very fortunate that Jordan Pickford made a great save and we stayed in the game.”
Gary Neville added: “Senegal had three big chances, they’ll be ruing those missed chances. They should have been 1-0 up.
“Well done Jordan Pickford. He comes out and on this one he does really well, but we’ve been really slow on the ball.
“This is a really good save. Pickford does really, really well for England. He grows for England. He’s kept his team in the game.”
Brilliant
As if there was any doubt still remaining over why Pickford is the England number one ahead of goalkeepers like Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale, the Everton man proved it once again on Sunday night.
Pickford didn’t have much to do, as he hasn’t for much of the tournament, but when he was needed he once again stepped up to the plate with a big save to keep his team in a commanding position.
It has been a really good tournament for Pickford so far, and despite the 3-0 win which would usually see the attackers get all the glory it’s great to see him being picked out by pundits for his contribution.
Southgate clearly trusts him for a reason, and just like he has shown in an Everton shirt over the last 18 months or so, his game has elevated and he is now among the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.
The club shouldn’t be surprised that teams like Chelsea are circling for a potential transfer, and must do all they can to tie him to a new deal to avoid a tussle to keep him around.