PICKFORD A POOR PICK, SAYS RALPH

RALPH HASENHUTTL says Jordan Pickford should be banned for Everton’s match at Southampton following his “absolutely disastrous tackle” in the Merseyside derby.

But the Saints boss reckons Everton’s new star James Rodriguez will play at St Mary’s tomorrow.

England goalkeeper Pickford (below) escaped punishment for his reckless challenge on Virgil van Dijk (above), and Hasenhuttl said: “It was a horrible tackle to be honest.

“We have more often now that the game goes on, and then some duels happen that don’t have to happen normally. This is an issue.

“You cannot go like this into a duel. This was an absolutely disastrous tackle. I think sure it can be a red card, but in the end it is a quick decision from the refw referee wasn’t. and it

“But the tackle by itself, when y you only see the ta tackle, was ho horrible, yes.” Eve Everton will be without Richarlison after he was sent off against Liverpool, but Hasenhuttl added: “They have some really good players in the team now.

“I think also James will play. I don’t trust the message that he is not available for the weekend.”

Austrian Hasenhuttl will tomorrow celebrate the first anniversary of Southampton’s 9-0 home defeat to Leicester. But he claimed the next home defeat against Everton last November was even worse, before he turned the south coast club around.

“Thank you for remembering this!” smiled the former RB Leipzig boss. “I don’t have a problem with this because as you know I am still sitting here. Since then a lot of things have happened and not in a bad way I think.

“It was a new experience for me, definitely, but meanwhile I have seen those strange results in the league.

“When Liverpool lose 7-2 against Aston Villa, I think, ‘OK, they were equal even though they were not one man down like we have been’.

“Everything is possible in the Premier League and you have to make this experience maybe once in your life. I don’t have to do it more often to be honest!

“But the Everton defeat was a worse game. It was only a 2-1 defeat but it was a disaster in the first half.”