Jordan Pickford makes England vow after Thomas Tuchel talks up goalkeeper battle
Jordan Pickford earned his 76th cap as England beat Andorra 1-0 in Barcelona on Saturday and the 31-year-old is confident that he can keep the number one shirt for many years to come
That is Joe Hart and David Seaman in the wing mirrors … only the small matter of Peter Shilton to pass. Only another 50 caps to go.
In the overwhelming tedium of England's win against Andorra in Barcelona, a significant landmark passed a lot of people by. As he kept another clean sheet, Jordan Pickford was making his 76th England appearance, surpassing the number made by Hart and Seaman.
The only keeper ahead of Pickford in the England appearance list is Shilton, with his 125 caps. That looks like a monumental gap but it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that Pickford will bridge it.
Shilton was two months shy of his 41st birthday when he won his 125th and final cap in the World Cup third-place play-off match against Italy in July, 1990. Seaman was 38 when he won his last cap.
As unlikely as it sounds, Pickford's international career might have the best part of another decade to run. 'I'm only 31,' he smiled after the Andorra game.
'I am young as a goalkeeper and I will keep striving and keep proving points. There has been competition since I pulled on the shirt for the very first time against Germany (in November 2017).
'It is about me keeping the shirt and pushing and the boys behind me chase. That is where my mentality is strong and that is where I keep improving.'
When Pickford says there has been competition since his first appearance, he is right, of course. And ahead of the match at the home of RCD Espanyol, Thomas Tuchel tried to talk up a battle for the number one spot.
But, in truth, Pickford is pretty much unrivalled. Dean Henderson had an eye-catching game for Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final and might get a chance against Senegal at the City Ground on Tuesday but Pickford remains a clear, automatic choice.
And the fact is that the Everton keeper, who actually seems to be cutting a calmer figure in his early thirties, very rarely takes a mis-step for England. And his record is exceptional.
Pickford said: '76 caps, 37 clean sheets … just shy of 50 percent. That's not bad, is it?' No, it's not. Even allowing for the less stressful clean sheets against the likes of Andorra, those are impressive numbers.
And Pickford also believes his game with the ball at his feet is still developing. He explained: '(Against Andorra), I still had the patterns and my role was to find the right solution, the right pass, not to just kick it long. Find passes through the lines.
'We have players who want the ball constantly and it is about making the right decisions. I thought I did that (against Andorra).'
If Pickford was an England player happy with his personal performance on Saturday evening, he must have been one of the very few. And he admits the squad need to quickly get to grips with the demands of the relatively new manager.
Pickford went on: 'We are happy we won but not happy how we played as a team. It is a new manager and a new style of play and we have to adapt quickly because - just like that - the World Cup will be around the corner.'
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