Stuart Pearce thinks Jordan Pickford is 'lying a little bit' after what Everton ace said about England

Everton keeper Jordan Pickford has been questioned by Stuart Pearce while on international duty.

The 32-year-old continues to serve as England number one, 10 years after making his senior debut for his nation.

There is now no doubt that he is up there with the best shot-stoppers in Three Lions history.

That has coincided with years of consistent performances with the Toffees.

Despite that, his role as number one has come under question in Thomas Tuchel's current squad.

Pickford discussed his thoughts on that, something which Stuart Pearce believes he is being disingenuous about.

What has Stuart Pearce said about Jordan Pickford?

There has been plenty of discussion surrounding the keeper, as there always is surrounding the international break.

The keeper just can't get the respect of many for whatever reason.

That hasn't been helped by Tuchel handing James Trafford two caps on the current break.

The Leeds United man started against Spain and Czechia, but didn't cover himself in much glory.

Pickford has since been given the nod to start against Croatia and even suggested that he was happy to be facing stern competition for his starting role.

That hasn't gone down to well on talkSPORT as pre-match, Adrian Durham asked, "He [Pickford] can't have been happy that he's basically missed out on two caps?"

Pearce was quick to suggest that everything the Everton man has said wasn't quite the truth.

The ex-England man said: "No, I don't think he would be to be fair. Any England player that turns around and says, 'I'm enjoying the competition', is probably lying a little bit.

"We all want a clear run at that position, we all want to be first pick."

That seems like a strange stance to take from the former defender, but Pickford has been given a chance to silence any critics.

How has Pickford fared in first-half vs Croatia?

There's no reason why the keeper would take to a press conference to essentially rip into his counterpart.

It seems as if Pearce expected the Toffees star to do so.

He obviously didn't and just wanted to focus on his own game as the Three Lions travelled to face Croatia.

There has been very little for the keeper to do at Stadion HNK Rijeka.

The one moment he was called into action, he rushed out to beat Ivan Perisic to a loose ball and showed his quality.

Pearce was quick to compliment him, which is strange after his prior comments.

Pickford will just be keen to prove a point with a clean sheet to silence him and any other critics.