England manager Gareth Southgate has hailed Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford at his morning-after press conference (12/7, 10:36) for delivering a ‘really outstanding’ Euro 2020.
Southgate believes there was little more Pickford could have done to help England win the tournament. And noted how the Everton shot-stopper has often been criticised in the past and seen his place between the sticks come into question.
Without injuries, Southgate has a wealth of options to name in goal. Manchester United’s Dean Henderson, Burnley’s Nick Pope, West Brom’s Sam Johnstone and Sheffield United’s Aaron Ramsdale being among them. But Pickford played each minute at Euro 2020.
Pickford was also one of England’s players of the game in Sunday’s final defeat to Italy after a terrific performance. But Southgate has noted how he has played well all tournament.
“I thought he had a brilliant tournament,” Southgate said. “There are a lot of players who come into that category, and you don’t get to a final without so many players having played well. The number of times I’ve sat here and his place in the team has been questioned.
“He’s constantly delivered for us, and his tournament was his best run of performances for England, and he should be hugely proud of that. To concede two goals in seven matches, our whole defence and whole team, but of course, the goalkeeper was a big part of that.
“Two saves in the shoot-out. He could do little more in terms of keeping the ball out of our net. And that’s always the starting point for any goalkeeper, so he had a really outstanding tournament.”
Was Everton ace Pickford one of England’s players of Euro 2020?
Pickford has received a wealth of praise for his Euro 2020 heroics, with Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer also lauding the Everton shot-stopper after England lost to Italy at Wembley. The BBC pundits hailed his efforts in the shoot-out, but also throughout the tournament.
It raises the question of was Pickford one of England’s players of Euro 2020? The Everton goalkeeper rarely put a foot wrong this summer and produced a raft of sublime saves when needed. Which was not always the case, with a few games often passing him by.
Pickford particularly had few saves to make against Croatia or the Czech Republic but always remained alert to any danger. He also led from the back, constantly barking orders at his defence in each game. And the 27-year-old’s raft of top saves helped to five shutouts.
The Everton ace was unable to make that six against Denmark in the semi-final when Mikkel Damsgaard’s free-kick caught Pickford by surprise. But the 38-cap international responded well and denied the Danes a late equaliser. Allowing England to reach the Euro 2020 final, where he made a difference from the first whistle to the last.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
