While almost the entire Everton squad have endured a significant drop in form in the final three months of the Premier League season, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has found his groove.
Earlier in the campaign, there were big question marks over the England international. Not only were his goalkeeping abilities frequently criticised, so too was his temperament.
Pickford was also the subject of intense media scrutiny following a tackle on Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk which left the Reds player out for the season. It’s a challenge that was mentioned almost every time Everton played by broadcasters throughout the campaign.
Unfortunately, what hasn’t been spoken about as much is the manner in which Pickford has finished the season and how he’s proven himself to be England’s best goalkeeper by a comfortable margin ahead of Tuesday’s squad announcement for this summer’s European Championship.
Since returning to the team in February after an injury layoff and helping the Toffees to a first Merseyside derby win at Anfield since 1999, he’s been almost faultless.
The maturity that Evertonians have long craved from Pickford has been there. His shot-stopping has been on point, while his distribution and command of the penalty box, typically areas where he’s been hit and miss during his time on Merseyside, appear to have improved too.
Even in Sunday’s 5-0 loss to Manchester City in the Premier League, Pickford prevented the Toffees being on the end of a double-figure defeat, making a string of impressive stops.
Tell you what, among all this I feel really sorry for Jordan Pickford
He's really not done anything wrong today and he's 5-0 down. In fact, he's stopped it from being much, much worse
— Adam Jones (@Adam_Jones94) May 23, 2021
Jordan Pickford comfortably Everton's best player in a 5-0 defeat. That tells you everything you need to know sadly
A sorry end to the season. Just desperate.
— Patrick Boyland (@Paddy_Boyland) May 23, 2021
There has been talk of Nick Pope or Dean Henderson usurping Pickford as England’s starter between the sticks this summer. But Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has shown faith in the Everton man throughout his tenure and he was excellent at the World Cup in 2018, as England made a run to the semi-finals.
That longstanding trust, coupled with arguably the most impressive run of Pickford’s Everton career in recent months, means it’s likely to be a straightforward call for the England manager when picking his starting XI for the summer.