EXCLUSIVE
Former Arsenal and England goalkeeper David Seaman believes Jordan Pickford "has everything he needs" to be a success at Everton.
The Toffees completed a deal for the Sunderland shot-stopper for a fee of £25 million, rising to £30m based on performances, on a five-year contract in June.
Pickford, a regular in the England Under-21 side, will become the third most expensive goalkeeper in history should the fee reach its full value.
Because of Everton's heavy outlay for the 23-year-old, Pickford's worth has come into question.
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And while Seaman fully understands the developing process of a young Premier League goalkeeper, the former Gunners No.1 is confident Pickford will flourish with added experience at Goodison Park.
"His current ability – he’s very good - he’s got everything he needs," Seaman told Goal. "Obviously he’s still learning, With Sunderland last season he had a lot to do, which was great for him because he was able to show what he can do. But he’s made another step up now and what he’ll find out is that he won’t have as much to do, but he’ll still need to be ready when needed.
"That’s one of the hardest parts of goalkeeping – being ready when you haven’t had a lot to do. But his ability is there for everyone to see.
"He’s still got to learn – he’s still got to learn how to deal with mistakes, because all goalkeepers make mistakes, but he’ll be getting more experience and he’ll be learning how to deal with those better.
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Pickford has progressed through the youth ranks at international level and helped England U21 to the 2016 Toulon Tournament trophy this summer.
He is yet to make a senior appearance, however, with Joe Hart, Tom Heaton, Jack Butland and Fraser Forster all competing for the same position.
Asked where Pickford ranks in Gareth Southgate's pecking order, and how he can oust Hart from the number one spot, Seaman said: "I don’t know where he stands because Joe is now at West Ham, which is great for him.
"Joe has massive experience because he’s played at the highest level for a long, long time, whereas with Jordan, he’s not played as much.
"There are steps – Sunderland to Everton, then even Everton to one of the bigger clubs, like one of the top four clubs, then it’s Champions League, then it’s playing for England, then it’s playing in a World Cup. There are little steps and it’s added pressure every time. But the more experience he gets the easier he will find it to deal with that pressure.
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"Where he stands – he’s in front of a few of the other goalkeepers, but all he can do is see how it goes for Everton.
"He’s got to do his job there, do as well as he did with Sunderland and he’ll really start pushing."
David Seaman is the Brand Ambassador and leads the judging panel for SpottoCash, a spot-the-ball competition for the digital generation. Visit spottocash.com for details.
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