The Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been likened to his Tottenham Hotspur counterpart Joe Hart by Stan Collymore.
Pickford was dropped in favour of Robin Olsen for Everton’s 2-1 defeat against Newcastle United on Sunday.
It followed a prolonged spell of poor form for the man who succeeded Hart as England’s long-term number one.
Hart appears to be enjoying a new lease of life at Tottenham, having arrived there as second-choice after a disappointing period of his own.
The 33-year-old played a pivotal role in Manchester City’s Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup wins at the start of the previous decade, but was banished to Torino, West Ham United and, finally, Burnley by Pep Guardiola.
And in his weekly column for The Daily Mirror (3 November, page 49), Collymore, the former Liverpool and England striker, wrote: “So Jordan Pickford has been dropped by Carlo Ancelotti at Everton and nobody can say it hasn’t been coming, even after a very solid start to the season by the Blues.
“Pickford’s situation reminds me in so many ways of what happened with Joe Hart and England. Hart, remember, showed the same confidence and exuberance that Pickford has so often displayed in an Everton shirt. It was a confidence that bordered on cockiness, and it needed to be checked.
“I’m sure Gareth Southgate will still select Pickford (left) for England but I do wonder if the writing is starting to appear on the Goodison walls for the Everton star, in the same way it did for Hart at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.
“Ancelotti is clearly not entirely convinced by Pickford. And if the keeper loses his place long-term, he would have two options. One, to look to leave Merseyside in a bid to cement his place in the international set-up. Two, to rein in that cockiness, show a little humility, and get back to basics.
“With a potential European charge for Everton and a Euros for England at the end of the season, we won’t have to wait too long to find out his choice.”
Like Hart, who has Hugo Lloris ahead of him at Tottenham, it appears that Pickford will now have to displace Olsen to win back his Everton spot.
Everton fans – could Pickford’s career be heading the same way as his Tottenham counterpart?
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