GARETH SOUTHGATE revealed his concerns over Jordan Pickford and the nasty fall-out from the Merseyside derby.
The England boss, who has named his squad for the forthcoming triple header, reckons the Everton keeper remains his No1 and no-one is ‘seriously’ threatening his place.
But Southgate held talks with Pickford after his poor challenge left Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk seriously injured and needing knee surgery.
Pickford received some major online abuse and although he was rested for the 2-1 loss at Newcastle, Carlo Ancelotti will pick him for tomorrow’s home game with Manchester United.
Southgate, whose first game of the international window is at home to Ireland on Thursday, said: “We spoke after the Liverpool game.
“I was just checking in. I recognised that it had been a very high-profile situation and there had been a lot of collateral fallout in a very public way.
“I just felt it would be an appropriate call to see how he was and if I could help in any way.
“Of course, any abuse to anybody – we are seeing a lot of examples of this on social media – is a concern for everybody really.
“This has been a very difficult period for Jordan in terms of the spotlight on that particular challenge.
“And because of the profile of the player involved – it is disappointing to see a player like that miss football.
“But we all know whenever we step over the line as a player, injuries can happen.
“It’s an unfortunate situation but there is nothing Jordan can do about that now. He has to get on with playing.
“I don’t know if he needed a breather or not. Carlo is working with him every day and would be more aware of what he is seeing on the training pitch.
“Maybe that Newcastle game was the right one to make that decision.
“One thing is for certain – you couldn’t find a more experienced person to make that call.
“And I think Jordan will appreciate the fact that Carlo immediately explained publicly that he was going to be playing again this weekend.
“That is key in terms of Jordan feeling supported and feeling that it would have been handled well.”
Southgate made it clear Pickford remains his top pick ahead of both Nick Pope and Dean Henderson.
The England boss must decide whether he features in all three games, which also includes Nations League matches against Belgium and Iceland.
The Three Lions boss added: “When people say I have been loyal to him he has deserved that.
“His performances have been excellent for us and so that has not been a difficult decision for me.
“We have some competition for places but I’d have to say there is nobody challenging seriously at the moment to push him out of position.”
