Everton: Harry Maguire goes completely against the grain with Jordan Pickford verdict

Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford did not have his finest outing for England, but Harry Maguire was still full of praise.

Pickford was unable to keep out Martin Baturina's shot from distance as Croatia cancelled out Harry Kane's penalty.

The 32-year-old was then beaten by Petar Musa before half-time, shortly after Kane had again put England ahead.

England went on to seal a 4-2 win in Wednesday's Group L clash thanks to second-half goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford.

Pickford, earning his 85th senior international cap in the contest at AT&T Stadium, produced a big save in the second half.

And Maguire, a surprise omission from England's World Cup squad, picked his international colleague out for praise.

Jordan Pickford 'really calm' in England win vs Croatia

The English media had rather mixed reviews for Pickford, with that second-half stop to deny Mario Pasalic helping to make amends.

Pickford is England's undisputed number one and has been superb for the Three Lions over a number of years now.

Despite some being down on his display in Texas, Maguire felt he looked very good on the ball.

"We've got four lads at the back who want to play," Maguire said on Netflix's The Rest is Football.

"Picks today was really calm under pressure and the two central midfielders want to get on the ball."

Maguire's comments certainly go against the grain, with The Guardian describing him as "shaky".

What's next for Pickford and England?

Due to the expanded nature of this summer's tournament, England are already effectively through to the next round.

Thomas Tuchel's men would like to finish top of Group L, however, so a win over Ghana in Boston on Tuesday will be next on the agenda.

That is followed by a showdown with Panama at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which will also host the final.

The aim for Pickford and his teammates is to get to that showpiece in New Jersey a month from now.

And while the display against Croatia was not perfect defensively, Pickford has more than enough credit in the bank to retain his place throughout the tournament.