Aidy Boothroyd: 'Everton move will not distract Jordan Pickford'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 15 June 2017

Boothroyd: 'Everton move won't distract Pickford'

England Under-21s boss Aidy Boothroyd is confident that Jordan Pickford's £30m move to Everton will not distract him at the upcoming European Championships.

England Under-21s manager Aidy Boothroyd has said that he is confident Jordan Pickford will not be distracted during the European Championships in Poland following his £30m switch to Everton.

Pickford completed a club-record transfer to Goodison Park this afternoon, undergoing his medical while on international duty with the Under-21s ahead of this summer's tournament.

The 23-year-old is now the third most expensive goalkeeper in football history, but Boothroyd has backed him to cope with any extra attention he might receive.

"He is absolutely fine. I don't think he even realises that he is going there. He is a coach's dream. He is not bothered who is he playing for, he is not interested in price tags, all he wants to do is keep the ball out of the net and play football," he told reporters.

"He is just a really good, genuine kid who wants to do well. Like all goalkeepers, he is a little bit mad. He wants to throw himself around until he can hardly breathe. The way the game is, it is market forces. All I will say is that he is a very, very talented goalkeeper, technically and tactically. What I think he has got more than anything, which is a massive plus, is his mentality.

"Nothing seems to faze him. They have all been taking the mickey out of him, asking if they can borrow a few quid. He just smiles and gets on with it and wants to catch another ball. He is brilliant. It is one of those things. We are here at an international tournament but we are not going to say no to a club (coming over). We work together with the clubs.

"We have good relationships with them. And in this particular case, five of the (Under-20) World Cup winners came from Everton. That is the way that it works. We have to work together."

England begin their European Championship campaign against holders Sweden in Kielce on Friday.