Jordan Pickford has told his England teammates to seize the chance of a lifetime to beat France.
And the Three Lions goalkeeper says France should be worried about England’s “scary” attack ahead of Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final. France are the World Cup holders and Kylian Mbappe is in red-hot form with five goals in the tournament, but Pickford insists England also have the experience to get the job done.
Everton star Pickford said: “[France are] Reigning champions, they’ve got Mbappe, other great players, it’s going to be tough opponents, tournament football and you might not get another chance to beat France, and to beat them in the quarters would be massive for this team.
“They’ve got to be worried about us as well, our threat in attack and we’ve got players who come off the bench as well. We’ve had the experiences of the World Cup, the Euros, those disappointments and we’ve been through those and learnt a lot from them because the defence is basically the same and we’ve come through it together.”
Pickford, 28, who is set to win his 50th cap against France, made a crucial save against Senegal when the score was goalless and has kept three clean sheets in Qatar. He is England’s undisputed No. 1 because he never lets his country down in the big games and he admits that making a big save is as enjoyable to him as a goal is for a striker.
Pickford, in an interview with England's Lions' Den YouTube channel, said: “It’s 49 caps now, the defence and the team ever since I’ve been in the squad have been second to none. You have to celebrate it.
“I enjoy it for the team more, the front lads are scary up top and while the defence are working hard, I’m making saves, it gives us a chance. To be fair to the front lads, they are crucial, their work rate off the ball. And they are ruthless as well.”
Pickford also paid tribute to England 'keeper coach Martyn Margetson and rivals Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope for continually pushing him in training. The competition for the shot-stopper jersey is fierce and Pickford says having to face the likes of Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford in training also keeps him sharp.
Pickford added: “We’ve got Harry Kane, Rashy, every day in training against them and the training with Marg, Rammers and Popey, the level is really high.”
