Pickford set to be England’s No. 1
England manager Gareth Southgate has indicated that Everton's Jordan Pickford could be his first-choice goalkeeper at the World Cup after saying his selection in Saturday's friendly against Nigeria was a "bit of a statement".
Southgate, whose other goalkeepers are Stoke City's Jack Butland and Burnley's uncapped Nick Pope, praised Pickford's distribution and calmness in the warm-up game at Wembley, which England won 2-1.
"I was really pleased with what Jordan did," the England manager told British media.
"His decision-making on crosses, the punch he made, his distribution and calmness to slide passes into midfield... that was really important to the way we want to play. There was a bit of a statement with the selection of Jordan."
Pickford, who has three caps, said Southgate had still not informed the squad who would be the first-choice custodian in Russia.
"Nothing's been confirmed," he said.
" I've just got to keep putting in performances and keep working hard in training.
"Getting the nod (against Nigeria) was brilliant - there's another cap ticked off and another solid performance." - REUTERS
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