Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford says he is ready to “thrive off” the pressure of England’s Euros semi-final against the Netherlands.
England’s number one is already one of the tournament heroes of Gareth Southgate’s side after saving a penalty from Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji in the shoot-out against Switzerland in a tense quarter-final.
But Pickford says he is up for the challenge in Dortmund, in a game being televised live on ITV1.
“There is pressure but I love the pressure,” said Pickford.
“I love playing under that pressure and I thrive off it and that is just my mentality towards it. People might be a bit nervous but nerves are also a good thing.
“Every individual person is different but for me, the pressure of a semi-final – you want to be in the final – so I thrive under the pressure to make sure we get to the final.
The Everton goalkeeper has now broken England records for the most consecutive tournament appearances, the most clean sheets and the most penalty saves.
“It is a huge honour but the bottom line is that we want to win the trophy,” he told ITV Sport.
“It is a huge honour to have all of those stats but I’m a team player and my main focus is the game coming up and also getting that result first to then look towards the final but I am all about the team and nothing but the team.
“As an England number one, as you’ve seen over the years, you get criticism and it is how you deal with that criticism.
“You’ve got to be perfect every game and for me I try to be the best version of myself. The noise, people can talk because if they are talking it means they care and they want you to be at your best.
“I know when I’ve had a good game and can do better, when a goal goes in I know if I could have done better.“I just focus on myself to be the best version of myself, for my family and, when I’ve got the England shirt on, for the fans.”