Jordan Pickford reckons it’s good to talk – as Wayne Rooney has already discovered to his cost.
Everton’s new £25million goalkeeper broke a 20-year club record in midweek with his third clean sheet on the trot.
But former England skipper Rooney still found himself in Pickford’s firing line during the Europa League victory over Hajduk Split.
The Toffees were easing to a comfortable 2-0 win when Rooney sprayed a cross-field pass that failed to hit the target – and the Croatians were suddenly on the offensive.
The move broke down, but that didn’t stop 23-year-old Pickford from dishing out a mouthful to his much-decorated team-mate.
Pickford left said: “You’ll see I’m always demanding that the ball be kept as far away as possible from me.
“If we do that, then I don’t have to make saves. It’s all about talking – and making saves. I’m always talking to the lads in front of me.
“It was something Mark Prudhoe, the goalkeeping coach at Sunderland, drilled into me.
“He was great. He used to ring with advice – and I’d always listen. He told me never to keep quiet on the pitch.
“I have to keep organising. It’s natural to me. It’s why when I went on loan, at 17, I did it straightaway. As a keeper, it’s part of the job.
“If you’re keeping quiet then you are making problems for yourself.
“If you do it in the right way and the lads know what to expect, it will work.
“As long as we keep the ball out of the net then we are doing our job as a unit. I’m helping them. I can see more of the pitch than they can. They will turn around and give me a thumbs-up.”
Even Wayne Rooney?
Pickford added: “I said: ‘Come on, keep going, keep switched on’. Wayne was playing in the hole when we were defending set-pieces so I have to organise where he goes. We were under the cosh, it’s my job.
“That’s why I’m always talking. As long as you are involved in the game, you should be all right. It’s how I keep my concentration up.
“And no-one has ever told me to shut up. Not yet, anyway.”
Thomas Myhre was the last Everton keeper to post shut-outs in his first three appearances for the club, back in 1997 – and Pickford will be looking to keep his run going against Manchester City at the Etihad tomorrow.
He added: “I haven’t been too busy –the lads in front have been doing their job as well. I don’t want to be called upon, but when I am, I will make saves.
“Hajduk Split was one of those games when I didn’t have much to do. It’s different to last year [with Sunderland] because I was really busy.
“The Manchester City game is what the Premier League is all about. You have to thrive on those big occasions. We will go with a good game-plan and try to execute it.”
England boss Gareth Southgate was among those who saw Pickford yapping away at his colleagues on Thursday night.
With a double-header against Malta and Slovakia coming up, there is every chance the new Everton man will be given a run-out for his country, despite the competition from the likes of Joe Hart, Fraser Forster and Jack Butland.
Pickford said: “I’ll keep improving. Hopefully one day I’ll be England’s No.1.”