Is Jordan Pickford Undervalued for Club and Country?

BBC Sport’s chief football writer, Phil McNulty, recently addressed questions from readers. One query, from Martin, asked if McNulty agreed that Jordan Pickford is significantly undervalued for both his club and national team performances. In response, Phil McNulty stated that Pickford’s importance to Everton is self-evident, expressing a genuine belief that the club would currently be in the Championship without his sustained excellence. He added that no individual with an Everton affiliation would underestimate him. However, McNulty conveyed his opinion that Pickford has been considerably undervalued while playing for England, with observers frequently seeking flaws in his performances that did not exist. He noted a current shift in this perception, as people are now recognizing Pickford’s status as a top-class goalkeeper. This was again evident in Greece, during a match largely dominated by England, where Pickford executed two outstanding saves in each half. A compelling statistic highlights Pickford’s consistency: he has now matched the record of 73 caps held by legendary World Cup winner Gordon Banks. Pickford has achieved 34 clean sheets and, according to Opta statistics, has made only one error directly leading to a goal, which occurred against Belgium in March. McNulty concluded by asserting that these facts are highly indicative of Pickford’s quality.