Jordan Pickford believes it is important Everton preserve their Premier League status as the club is geared to go in the right direction.
Although Everton currently sit outside the bottom three, they once again find themselves mired in another relegation battle. The Blues stayed up by the skin of their teeth last season.
Everton finished 16th, having secured their Premier League survival on the penultimate day with a dramatic 3-2 win over Crystal Palace at Goodison Park. The Blues came from 2-0 down at the break to claim all three points on a dramatic night that will live long in the memory.
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Pickford, who recently signed a new contract that will keep him at Goodison for the next four-and-a-half years, is also involved in another scrap with both Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope eyeing his England No.1 spot.
And although the former Sunderland man accepts that his status as Gareth Southgate’s first choice will come under threat if Everton are relegated, he believes the most important reason for his side to avoid the drop is to ensure they can keep building and heading in the right direction.
He said: “I’ve just gotta focus on myself. Aaron is having a top season at Arsenal, going for the title, while Newcastle are fifth so they could be in the Champions League as well.
“It’s important that Everton stay in the Premier League. It’s the top league to be in, so I’ve got to put my focus on that. I can only think about being the best I can be.
“We’ve got a good set of lads with England. It’s like a keepers’ union - and I like seeing them all doing well. It’s nice to see the trust the manager has put in me, but my form over the last three years has been really good.”
Before he continued: “Everything is geared for Everton to go in the right direction. Obviously last year it was tight and this year seems to be about all the teams from 12th to 20th.
“We’ve started getting a bit of momentum. It’s three games unbeaten, a draw at Chelsea. But going forward, the training ground is a top facility, the new stadium looks like an amazing project.
“Fingers crossed we’ll get out of trouble again this year, so that we can keep building as a group going forward.”
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