Jordan Pickford has spoken about his “whirlwind of a year” after signing a new six-year contract at Everton and said he might not have got the call to play for England at the World Cup had he not moved to Merseyside.
The goalkeeper believes he needs to be in the Premier League to be considered for his country but also acknowledges he has improved since leaving his native Sunderland. “All the coaches I have worked with in the past year have helped me get better,” the 24-year-old said. “It’s been a great leap for me personally in a short time but I believe all the new challenges have improved my game massively. I’ve just signed a new contract that will take me up to the age of 30, so it feels like a progression is being made. My only ambition is to keep playing every week for a club that is heading in the right direction.”
Pickford feels that is true of Everton under Marco Silva, even if they have lost their past two matches, and is under no illusions about what is required for the club to move forward. “The next progression hopefully is to win some silverware and try to finish higher up the table,” he said. “We finished eighth last season and for Everton that was not so good, even though we made the top 10. This club really wants to be in the top six at least, and possibly higher than that.
“The club has a project to go forward and everyone knows that means reaching the Champions League. That will take a lot of hard work but we are willing to put it in. I don’t know how long it might take but looking ahead you have to be ambitious enough to be trying to hit the top four. Looking around, at the quality of the players the manager has brought in, I think we are a step ahead of where we were last season.”
Pickford’s performances in Russia during the summer brought him to the attention of other clubs, at least according to rumours on social media, though he kept his focus. “I discovered you get a lot of that sort of thing when you play at a World Cup but I didn’t let if affect me,” he said. “I just knuckled down to do my job and waited to get back to work with Everton. I’m part of a great squad here.”
