‘He looks so small!’ Roy Keane rips into Jordan Pickford as Everton stumble on road to survival

Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane called Everton and England number one Jordan Pickford ‘not a top goalkeeper,’ after the Toffees lost 3-0 to Manchester City at Goodison Park. 

The result leaves Sean Dyche’s side in 17th place in the Premier League table, just one point outside the relegation zone, with two huge games still to play.

So, Pickford will have to improve on his performance against Man Cit, if Everton want to avoid dropping into the second tier for the first time since 1951.

The Toffees have endured yet another dismal season, picking up just 32 points from 36 matches so far. This is the worst return at this point in the season in the club’s entire history.

Generally, their biggest problem has been scoring goals. Their main striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has endured another injury-disrupted campaign, and summer signing Neal Maupay has scored just one goal in 26 outings.

Their recent 5-1 away victory against Brighton has given Everton some hope. But, you would think that they still need to pick up at least four points from their last two matches – against Wolves and Bournemouth – to secure safety.

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Keane: Pickford is ‘not a top keeper’

However, following Everton’s defeat to the Premier League champions, Man City, Pickford bore the brunt of Keane’s criticism.

In particular, the former Man Utd midfielder highlighted Pickford’s goalkeeping for Gundogan’s second goal from a free-kick.

Keane said: “Pickford for the goal, my goodness. He looks so small in there. There is no spring, he’s not anticipating. Micah (Richards) said he’s a top goalkeeper, he’s not.”

This season, the England international has made 35 Premier League appearances, conceding 56 goals and keeping seven clean sheets.

Pickford has also made 119 saves overall – the third most in the division.

Keane may have been unhappy with Pickford’s performance against Man City, but, the majority of Evertonians seem pleased to have Pickford between the sticks.

In Everton’s previous game, the goalkeeper made at least three outstanding stops to keep Everton in front against Brighton.

Also, last season, when the Toffees came close to being relegated, he put in some fantastic performances towards the end of the season. In particular, he made the ‘Premier League Save of the Season’ against Chelsea, which helped Everton pick up a valuable three points.

Interestingly, Manchester United have been linked with a move for Pickford recently. So, Keane may be faced with having the ‘not top keeper’ at Old Trafford next season.

If that happens, it will be interesting to see how Keane reacts. For now, though, Pickford’s focus will no doubt be on doing everything he can to keep Everton in the top flight.

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