England’s No 1 is at a crossroads

LESS than two weeks after admitting he allowed Newcastle supporters to get the better of him during what proved a difficult encounter for the Everton goalkeeper at St James’ Park, Jordan Pickford fell for it again. Only this time alcohol was added to the mix and a young man who has been central to England’s revival under Gareth Southgate now has to deal with video footage that sees him giving someone the finger, before trying to give someone else a right hook, only to then be led away by friends in a red mist. At a time the FA is concerned about the escalation in incidents of violence among football fans, this is far from ideal. England’s manager will take a dim view of this, even if he might not consider it serious enough to do something as drastic as drop Pickford for the Nations League semi-final with Holland. On the eve of the Euro 2020 qualifier against the Czech Republic last month, Pickford conceded he had allowed those 50,000 Newcastle fans to get under his skin. Just as he conceded that abuse on social media could annoy him. He said he would not make the same mistake again in reacting to his tormentors, insisting he could handle it. Clearly that is not that case. And now Pickford has a decision to make if he wants to realise his considerable potential and remain England’s No 1 for years. He finds himself at a crossroads and has to decide what matters more when this is not the first time his lifestyle choices have been under scrutiny. At Sunderland, David Moyes raised concerns about his diet and at Everton certain habits appear to be dying hard. The night Wayne Rooney was arrested for drink-driving in a car belonging to a woman he had met that night, Pickford was among more committed revellers in the same Cheshire bar. This time he was out in Sunderland, enjoying a big day for his boyhood club and getting drawn into a situation when the first sign of trouble — in this case a moron with a camera phone taunting him with insults as lame as ‘butterfingers’ — should have been his signal to leave. Pickford is a great talent, and a very modern goalkeeper. But he is old school when it comes to his nights off and he needs to accept he is a target and make the necessary adjustments. In fairness to Pickford, he is a pleasant, humble individual and someone who will listen to the guidance he is sure to now receive from Southgate and Marco Silva. It could be they are sympathetic. Especially if his partner, with whom Pickford had his first child a few weeks ago, was also verbally abused. But a lesson it remains, and one Pickford must learn.