Jordan Pickford has spent the best part of a decade answering questions about his place in the England team.
He has remained first choice under Gareth Southgate and Thomas Tuchel, helped England reach multiple major tournament semi-finals and finals, and become England’s most-capped goalkeeper at the World Cup.
Even so, another tournament has brought another debate over whether his international career should continue.
Another talkSPORT voice joins the Pickford debate
This time, the latest criticism has come from talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings, who argues England should move on from their long-serving number one.
“I think Jordan Pickford shouldn’t play for England again,” Jennings said after England’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina.
“I think it’s over.”
Jennings also questioned why Pickford has never been signed by one of the Premier League’s established Champions League clubs, describing him as “an all-right Premier League goalkeeper.”
It is the latest example of a familiar trend. Whenever England fall short at a major tournament, attention often turns towards Pickford, despite his place in one of the country’s most successful international sides of the modern era.
Numbers don’t back up the criticism
Pickford has faced scrutiny throughout much of his England career, but his record remains difficult to ignore.
He has been England’s first-choice goalkeeper at five major tournaments, played a key role in penalty shoot-out victories over Colombia, Switzerland and Italy, and produced countless important saves in knockout games.
Few England goalkeepers can point to a record that compares as favourably.
The talkSPORT discussion also featured Dean Ashton, who suggested England should begin looking towards Euro 2028 with a different goalkeeper, while former England goalkeeper Ben Foster questioned whether Pickford could have done more to prevent Enzo Fernandez’s winning goal.
Constructive criticism is part of football, particularly after a painful tournament exit, and Pickford himself would be the first to admit he has made mistakes during his career.
But reducing England’s semi-final defeat to the performance of one player overlooks the consistency he has shown for almost a decade in an England shirt.
Evertonians have heard it all before
That is why the latest debate is unlikely to surprise Everton supporters.
Whether at club or international level, Pickford has often found himself judged more harshly than many of his contemporaries, despite continuing to retain the trust of every England manager he has played under.
The conversation has become familiar.
A difficult result prompts renewed calls for change, while years of consistently high-level performances quickly fade into apparent insignificance.
Supporters are, of course, entitled to their opinions, and Jennings is no exception. It’s his job, on a station where controversial takes are its lifeblood.
But for Everton fans, this feels like another example of a high-profile talkSPORT voice questioning a goalkeeper whose body of work for England speaks for itself.
After everything Pickford has achieved in an England shirt, many on Merseyside will feel he has earned more than having his international career written off after one disappointing night.
