'Godsend' - Commentator: Everton star on course to have statue at new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium

Jordan Pickford is on the right path to one day have his own statue built outside the new Everton stadium, according to Ian Darke.

Pickford’s loyalty the club has been commended down the years since his move from boyhood side Sunderland in 2017, having gone on to scoop 290 appearances and counting plus 71 England caps – and he has faced very little competition for his place.

TNT Sports commentator Darke is “refreshed” by Pickford, 30, whose optimistic public manner has been welcomed at Goodison Park during some turbulent times on and off the field.

“I do find it refreshing. His general level of form for Everton has been a godsend and he’s played so many games for England. Like all goalkeepers, he has the odd off day but hasn’t had very many, and his character and buoyancy is pretty important for the club,” Darke exclusively told Goodison News.

“You could argue they may have slipped into the Championship somewhere in those relegation battles if he hadn’t been in that kind of form. I wouldn’t say he’s quite in a position where they’d build a statue of him just yet, but he might get to that if he carries on the way he’s been going.

“There must have been a lot of times where bigger clubs were considering him, but you’ve never seen him agitate for a move. His loyalty is only to be admired.”

Everton may not be a Premier League side without Jordan Pickford

The consensus following Everton’s very close brushes with dropping into the Championship is that they would be rooted in the second tier without Pickford.

The Three Lions goalkeeper has been one of the long-term mainstays on Merseyside – only Seamus Coleman and Dominic Calvert-Lewin were brought into the Toffees’ first-team squad before him.

Having signed his last contract extension in February 2023, his current deal runs until the summer of 2027, by which point he will be 33.

In other Everton news, Roy Keane and Ian Wright clash over their predictions for the trip to West Ham.

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