Rio Ferdinand shares 'Problem' Everton ace Pickford has for England

Rio Ferdinand has claimed that Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has a trust “problem” that is contributing to England’s struggles at Euro 2024.

The Three Lions have come in for criticism after the 1-1 draw with Denmark (20 June) with manager Gareth Southgate being questioned over his team selection and tactics.

Former Manchester United defender thinks one of the issues is that Pickford does not necessarily trust the players in front of him to receive the ball and is thus often looking to go long.

“You have to pass the ball from the back, you have to play when people are under pressure – the best teams do that,” Ferdinand said on Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE (24 June).

“They pass the ball to people that have a man-on because they are confident and trust in their teammates.

“We [England] don’t do that, how often do we see the ball roll into Declan Rice? I want to see it demanded from him.

“Pickford starting these attacks is the problem because he is not trusting the individuals before Kane to keep the ball and once he doesn’t trust them to play out he goes long.”

Why England need Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford between the sticks

It’s almost a backhanded compliment from Ferdinand, because he is not suggesting Pickford himself is a problem but rather has a trust issue with his teammmates.

What is not really in question is just how important Pickford is for England and, indeed, for Everton. His stature has just continued to grow after a couple of excellent seasons.

So much so that the Everton star man has been linked with a move away from the Toffees this season [TEAMtalk, 9 May].

However, with the Toffees’ prospective new owner Dan Friedkin now signing an exclusivity agreement [Financial Times, 20 June] and with other players probably more likely to be sold, it is hard to imagine Pickford departing this transfer window.

What Pickford’s thoughts will be squarely on right now is how the Three Lions can overcome a lacklustre start to the tournament in Germany and Tuesday’s (25 June) clash with Slovenia provides a chance to get a bit of momentum going.

As Southgate’s men have already qualified for the knockout stages, thanks to other results going their way, he might be tempted into some changes to his XI.

There’s no doubt that Pickford will be keeping his starting role, however, with a different array of talent on the pitch, he could feel more confident in his team, thus eradicating the “problem” he has.

In other Everton news, the Toffees have been given a potential boost in their quest to meet the Premier League’s PSR.

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