Jordan Pickford showed why he is England’s No 1 and Everton’s potential saviour

It’s October 2022, Gareth Southgate is finalising his World Cup squad and destiny takes him on a tour of Championship venues.

Maybe he is checking if Jordan Pickford can keep Millwall’s attack at bay. Perhaps he is weighing up if Nick Pope still warrants an England place by withstanding Blackpool’s firepower.

He could be assessing if Kalvin Phillips is outrunning and outpassing Preston North End’s midfield.

Whatever the scouting mission, it is an unedifying spectacle for the national coach as a debate wages as to whether an England player operating outside the Premier League can be justifiably considered for the world’s biggest international tournament.

If this sounds like an apocalyptic vision for Everton, Burnley and Leeds United, it is no less so for Southgate.

Strict neutrality laws prevent the England coach choosing sides when considering the relegation candidates, but is it such a leap to imagine him clenching his fists and cheering when Pickford made his match winning saves against Chelsea to enhance Everton’s survival hopes? An Everton relegation would be catastrophic for the Merseyside club. It would be terrible news for England’s World Cup hopes, too.

If Leeds go down, Phillips will most likely be snapped up by a Premier League rival before he has booked his summer holiday. Should Burnley go, it is hard to imagine Pope hanging around Turf Moor for long given the consistency of his performances and the ongoing yearning for high class keepers at the highest level.

For Pickford, the stakes are surely the highest. He will have many admirers if Everton drop into the Championship, but his salary and a significant valuation might be prohibitive. Interested clubs would have a dilemma because of the cost of such a transfer this summer. Pickford is a better keeper now than when he signed for £30m. Everton would have a dilemma because Pickford is one of their few sale-able assets and – with his contract running until 2024 – his value might drop outside the top flight. Pickford would have a dilemma if his instincts told him to stay at least one more year to get his side straight back into the Premier League, but he was worried about his World Cup spot. Southgate would have a dilemma because of the drop in quality in the Championship.

Fortunately for Everton, there is no player doing more than Pickford to ensure these remain hypothetical as much as nightmare scenarios.

There have been many ways of describing Pickford during his career. It is fair to say ‘mature’ has rarely featured.

Ask those who work closest to him at Goodison Park and they will say that is unfair.

They will tell you the perception of Pickford as prone to moments of brain fog is outdated, and behind the winks to spectators after catching crosses is a serious professional, dedicated to his craft.

They will ask you to recall the last goalkeeping howler because there have been so few since the middle of last season, and point out that when – like all keepers – he inevitably makes one, it gets disproportionate coverage because of his status.

What really irks Evertonians is the reaction whenever Pickford performs as well as he did against Chelsea on Sunday and it is presented as a ‘timely’ return to form, or a sign that he is improving his concentration levels.

They will tell you on the Gwladys Street that Pickford has been the model of consistency for 18 months, and how Everton’s precarious position has camouflaged their keeper’s excellent form.

Pickford is playing for his Premier League future right now. He seems to be playing for his England one in the build-up to every get-together, especially ahead of another tournament, only to re-emerge as the undisputed first pick in goal.

If Southgate’s faith has been tested, it has never shown. It is an admirable quality of the England coach that he judges players on how they train and play under his command rather than bend to the whims of those calling for a new number one every season. If Southgate followed the prevailing wind, Dean Henderson would have replaced Pickford a few years ago, only to have been demoted when it became obvious he was a back-up at Manchester United.

Where Pickford excels is in producing crucial saves at critical moments. He has done it often for England where – with due respect to Everton – he has far less to do.

If Everton escape, Pickford’s performance against Chelsea – his save denying Cesar Azpilicuata especially – will be remembered at Goodison long beyond this season.

The Pickford question continues to be asked frequently with regards England. With Aaron Ramsdale eyeing the Champions League with Arsenal, and Pope influential in Burnley’s late salvage act, it is unlikely to disappear before Qatar.

If Pickford continues to perform as he did on Sunday, it will be no surprise if Southgate issues the same emphatic answer in his favour. Suffice to say, the England coach will not want to have to take in any Championship games in an effort to justify it.