Jordan Pickford has moved to praise one of his Everton teammates who spent most of the 2025/26 season in the shadows.
David Moyes came under fire in the final weeks of the last campaign, as Everton threw away a golden opportunity to secure European football.
All defensive solidity was lost in those final weeks, and Everton ended up finishing 13th.
And one of the big criticisms of Moyes was his failure to rotate enough.
Which Everton player are you expecting to have the best World Cup? 🏆
Some players like Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall looked out on their feet at times.
And another point of contention was the manager putting square pegs in round holes.
Jake O’Brien was one such example, meaning very little game time for Nathan Patterson.
Weeks on from the season ending, Patterson has now come in for some nice praise from Jordan Pickford.
Jordan Pickford talks up Nathan Patterson after tough season at Everton
Patterson made just eight appearances for Everton in 2025/26.
He was unavailable for several games in the first half of the campaign due to injury, but by and large Moyes just didn’t fancy him.
This was despite playing well in some games he was called upon for.
O’Brien was the clear favourite in the eyes of the manager, and many felt that Patterson deserved more minutes.
Currently, he is playing for Scotland at the World Cup, and he helped his side to beat Haiti in their opener, coming off the bench.
Everton number one Jordan Pickford has revealed he watched the game, and spoke of his delight for Patterson.
He said (via Patterson’s Instagram Story): “You could see the emotion and how much it meant to them to get that result.
“Ginny to score the goal, he’s a great lad. And I’m really pleased for Patto as well from Everton. I think the last few months at Everton he grafted and worked hard even though he didn’t really get his chance. He put the hard work in and he made his debut in the World Cup.
“Stuff like that does put a smile on your face.”
Pickford added that he has not text his Everton teammate to congratulate him on Scotland’s win.
Transfer interest building in Patterson
Patterson’s lack of minutes for Everton towards the end of the season was a great shame.
He ought to have played more especially as there were times when O’Brien struggled.
It sounds like he trained very well, so it was simply a case of Moyes not rating him – and that will surely lead to him leaving this summer.
It’s already been claimed that Patterson has interest from top-flight clubs in several leagues, so this may help Everton to make a key sale.
Receive a digest of our best Everton content each week direct to your mailbox
