Darren Bent says £30m Everton star is his country’s greatest ever player in his position

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It’s hard to argue that Jordan Pickford has delivered whenever his club and country need him.

Yes, he’s privy to a rare mistake, but that can be said for almost every top-class goalkeeper who has played the game at the highest level.

During Everton’s recent battles to avoid relegation, the £30million signing has made match-winning contributions and saves that ultimately maintained the Toffees’ Premier League status.

Pickford has been the cornerstone of Gareth Southgate’s resolute backline for England and produced some critical moments towards the back end of major competitions.

Now, the former Sunderland man has been lauded as England’s best-ever keeper.

Darren Bent: Jordan Pickford England’s best ever

Celtic goalkeeper and former England number one Joe Hart has announced he is retiring at the end of the season.

Hart calling it a day has raised the question of who England’s greatest-ever keeper is – and Darren Bent cannot look any further than Pickford.

Talking on talkSPORT, the former Aston Villa striker said: “For me personally, I would say Jordan Pickford [England’s greatest ever goalkeeper]. He’s the best.

“You look at consistency in major tournaments. Shot-stopping as well. When you look at his performances in major tournaments, he’s not let England down. Pickford’s number one.”

Is Darren Bent right about Jordan Pickford?

Over the last 30 years, it hasn’t been easy to highlight a goalkeeper who has made a similar impact to Pickford on the international stage.

During his 58 England appearances, he’s helped the Three Lions to their first World Cup semi-final since 1990 and played a vital role in England’s run to the Euro 2021 final.

It’s hard to pinpoint a moment or mistake where the Everton man has let England down.

Pickford is now just 17 appearances behind Hart, and there’s an argument to suggest he will be England’s go-to keeper for at least the next two major tournaments.

“We’ve always had belief in Jordan’s abilities as a goalkeeper,” Southgate told Everton’s official website.

“That has been questioned externally but never internally, and his performances have always warranted that faith. There is the goalkeeping ability of keeping the ball out of the net, then the ability with his feet, which is so important in the modern game.”

“He has a fantastic range of passing and with the way we want to play that is very, very important.”