It’s time for Jordan Pickford to step down from England duty.
That is the view of eSPORTY’s Rory Jennings, who is adamant a new man is needed between the sticks for the Three Lions going forward.
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A stalwart since the early days of Gareth Southgate’s tenure as manager, Pickford has amassed 91 caps since making his debut nine years ago.
Despite struggles in patches when playing for his club, Everton, faith in Pickford to do the job for England never wavered.
And why would it? Memorable performances in penalty shootouts against Colombia and Switzerland proved vital in breaking an old curse that plagued England for decades.
Having represented England at three World Cups, as well as at two European Championships, the 32-year-old’s contributions to his country will be appreciated for years to come.
But the panel on Thursday’s Kick Off agree it’s time for a change in between the posts.
Pick that out
When speaking about who could be England goalkeeper at Euro 2028, former Three Lions international Dean Ashton began: “Pickford might be there but it’s probably time for somebody to come and step in.”
Jennings concurred with Ashton, adding that he’s sceptical of the idea that Pickford never makes a mistake in an England jersey.
The Chelsea fan made reference to Pickford’s failure to keep out Enzo Fernandez’s long-range effort during England’s gut-wrenching World Cup exit at the hands of Argentina on Wednesday night, and Jude Bellingham’s apparent shock at the ball hitting the back of the net.
Jennings began: “I agree. I just agree more passionately. I think Jordan Pickford shouldn’t play for England again. I think it’s over.
“He’s been fine but there seems to be this misnomer that, you know, when people go, ‘Jordan Pickford’s never let England down’.
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“I think he has. I think if you asked Jude Bellingham whether he thinks he should have saved Enzo Fernandez’s shot yesterday…”
Jennings continued: “There’s a reason that he’s been playing for a relegation-threatened club for a lot of his career and no one’s ever tried to sign him.
“He’s an all-right Premier League goalkeeper. We need somebody better.”
Who should replace Pickford?
England boss Thomas Tuchel isn’t short of goalkeeping options should he decide to drop Pickford as first choice.
One of the next in line is Dean Henderson, who was part of the England squad this summer, fresh from positive seasons with Crystal Palace.
While he didn’t make the cut for this squad, the services of five-cap England international Aaron Ramsdale could be called upon with the Southampton man representing big clubs including Arsenal and Newcastle in his career.
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But Pickford’s heir apparent comes in the form of a goalkeeper who’s currently fighting for first-team football against Gianluigi Donnarumma.
When asked who he feels should succeed Pickford, Jennings said: “I think at the moment it would be James Trafford.
“You hope that he has a big season, gets an opportunity at Manchester City, and can develop into the keeper that I believe he can become.”
Pickford’s England career
Former Sunderland keeper Pickford made his England debut in November 2017 having made a number of appearances across various youth age groups for them.
He served as the long-term replacement to Joe Hart and put his name on the map with a stirring performance during a last-16 win over Colombia at the 2018 World Cup, denying Carlos Bacca with a superb right-handed stop to help England to a first win on penalties at the World Cup.
Pickford also shone in the penalty shootout at the Euro 2020 final, saving two Italy spot-kicks at Wembley. However, England’s failure to convert three of their efforts meant they suffered a heartbreaking defeat.
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Everton star Pickford continued to serve as the undisputed no.1 for England at the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024, where once again he helped his country prevail on penalties by denying Manuel Akanji to see England through against Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
And he has now broken the record for most England caps at World Cups with 18, making a number of heroic saves along the way this summer.
He could make his 19th World Cup appearance on Saturday when England take on France in the third place play-off.
eSPORTY will bring you live commentary of the clash from Miami, with kick-off at 10pm.
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