Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has come under fire from former Toffees man Martin Keown for his attitude towards his teammates on the pitch.
The Lowdown: Pickford staying at Everton
Pickford made headlines earlier this week after agreeing a new deal at Goodison Park – though some of the reaction to his contract extension saw the 28-year-old’s ambition come into question.
The England No 1’s four-year deal means he will take his stay at Everton to 10 years, though having joined from Sunderland in 2017, his club career has been dominated by relegation battles, with the Toffees at the lower end of the Premier League table in recent years.
And despite vowing to ‘build a legacy‘ similar to that of club legend Neville Southall, it is a certain aspect of his performances that has annoyed TalkSport pundit and ex-Everton ace Keown the most.
The Latest: Keown would hate playing with Pickford at Goodison Park
Speaking on TalkSport, while Keown insisted that Pickford’s extension is a positive sign for the club, he decided to use the opportunity to pick on a specific quirk of the goalkeeper’s game.
He said: “This is really good news to get him to sign a new deal, but he looks almost offended when the opposition have a shot.
“I find that quite tricky to deal with. He’d make me particularly angry as a player, as a central defender.”
The Lowdown: Pickford is England No 1 for a reason
Keown had previously been asked whether he felt Pickford was the best goalkeeper in the country, which perhaps makes his comment somewhat more relevant.
However, we don’t see his displays of anger as a problem nor as an indication of Pickford’s ability.
Despite their struggles this term, Everton headed into the weekend with the fourth-best defence outside the so-called ‘big six’ based on goals conceded, having let in five fewer than Tottenham Hotspur. Therefore, Pickford – and his defenders – must be doing a lot of things right.
That said, having just five clean sheets to his name prior to their clash against Aston Villa must be a source of frustration for the World Cup semi-finalist, particularly given the relatively impressive rate at which they have kept the opposition out this season.
We would think that Pickford’s attitude – which is hardly a newfound thing – is simply in his nature, and that if Keown was playing alongside him, he’d get used to it before too long.
Luckily for the two-time Premier League winner, their careers at Goodison Park were some 24 years apart, and we imagine Pickford to be a totally different player from the more mild-mannered David Seaman.
Hopefully, Pickford will allow Everton’s success to do the talking for him in the years to come.
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