Gary Neville: Jordan Pickford is the reason Everton didn’t get relegated from the Premier League
Gary Neville has named Jordan Pickford as the reason that Everton avoided relegation from the Premier League this season.
The Toffees avoided the drop on the final day of the season with a 1-0 win over Bournemouth as Pickford kept a vital clean sheet, pipping Leeds United and Leicester and sending them to the Championship.
And while discussing the future of David De Gea on The Overlap FA Cup final special (1 June), Neville spoke about the importance of a goalkeeper and used Pickford as an example to show that he was the difference between Everton staying up or going down.
“I don’t think Pickford is a world-class goalkeeper,” he said.
“But if you look at those three teams that were vying to go down Leeds’ problems were with their goalkeeper. Leicester’s problems with theirs and then you look at Pickford who has actually been stable for Everton.
“That could be the difference. That purely could be the difference in the point or two points or whatever it is.”
No doubt
Whether you think he’s world-class or not, there’s no disputing that Pickford is a huge reason as to why Everton are still a Premier League team.
There was the penalty save against Leicester, then his massive saves in the game against Bournemouth on the final day too to help keep us up.
He’s done it for years too, and he showed his commitment to the cause with a new contract right in the middle of a relegation scrap.
His leadership has been magnificent too and he has been a key member of this squad for years. The stability he brings to the back line along with the organisation and moments of world-class ability mean he is a must-have.
A Goodison Park legend at this point, and for once Neville is right. We owe him a big thank you for helping us stay up this season and hopefully we can get better for next year because he deserves more.