Everton's Jordan Pickford can go on to become the best England goalkeeper of all time, according to former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips, who played alongside David Seaman for the Three Lions.
Pickford made his international debut shortly after moving to Goodison Park in 2017, keeping a clean sheet in a goalless draw against then World Cup holders Germany at Wembley on November 10, and has remained England's undisputed first-choice goalkeeper ever since.
The 32-year-old enters his third World Cup finals with 84 caps, surpassing the totals of David Seaman and Joe Hart (both 75) to become the country's most capped goalkeeper after Peter Shilton, who holds the overall England appearance record with 125.
Unlike Shilton, who did not get close to West Germany's efforts at Italia '90 as Bobby Robson's side missed the World Cup final, Pickford has saved at least one penalty in each of four shoot-outs for England, including two in the European Championship final against Italy in 2021. He even scored the pressure fifth kick in a 6-5 victory over Switzerland in 2019. He has also broken Shilton's record for most clean sheets by an England goalkeeper in major tournaments, currently on 12.
Speaking courtesy of BestBettingSites.co.uk, former Sunderland striker Phillips told the ECHO: "He gets ridiculed, certainly from the Newcastle fans. But Jordan loves it. He embraces it, and it makes him perform better.
"For me, he could potentially go on to be the best England goalkeeper of all time. And that's a big statement.
"But he's made an awful lot of appearances. He's pulled off some unbelievable saves this season for Everton.
"He never ever lets England down. I can't even remember when he's let them down.
"He's a great character. Like I say, he embraces that stick or that criticism.
"He doesn't get too much of it from me, that's for sure, because he is a world-class goalkeeper. No doubt he'll prove it again this summer."
