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Former Premier League goalkeeper Chris Kirkland has praised struggling Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford on talkSPORT, and backed him to get even better when his form returns.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 6 ft 6 colossus was asked about the England international on talkSPORT, with the 25-year-old coming under scrutiny for some of his displays for the Toffees this season following such a successful World Cup campaign with his country.

One example of that was the loss against Newcastle earlier this month, where he clearly let the occasion get the better of him as a former Sunderland man, being fortunate not to be red-carded.

Kirkland is clearly a big fan though, telling talkSPORT: “He’s an incredible goalkeeper.

“He had a great tournament in the summer at the World Cup. He’s had tough moments at Everton this year, but all goalkeepers are going to go through that.

“One thing about Jordan is he’s extremely confident in his own ability.

“I’ve got no doubt he’ll get even better.”

Is he right?

You’d like to think so.

While things may have not been going well at club level, Pickford is still relatively young in goalkeeping terms and he knows that he will need to be more mature and focused if he wants to keep on improving in the future.

Two decent performances for England across the international break will certainly ensure he returns to Everton this week in high spirits, and now he needs to take that to the pitch against West Ham United on Saturday to help his side finish the campaign positively.