Ex-Sunderland player signs new four-and-a-half-year contract with Premier League club

The 28-year-old Washington-born stopper began life at Sunderland, rising through the ranks at the Academy of Light to the first team with several loan moves in between, including a successful stint at Preston North End during the 2015-16 season.

The Wearsiders were then relegated to League One in 2017 prompting Pickford’s move to Goodison Park to join Everton for a whopping £30million.

Pickford has also been his country’s first-choice stopper since the last World Cup in 2018, and started every game at last year’s European Championships and the World Cup in Qatar this winter.

There had been speculation Pickford could leave at the end of his last contract but has penned a deal until June 2027 with the Premier League club.

Pickford told evertontv: “It’s massive to sign this new contract at such a special club for me. The support I’ve had from everyone at the Club since I joined as a 22-year-old has been so important to my family and me. I’m happy here and so are my family. We love it at Everton.

“Everton is a massive club. The past few seasons have not been what we wanted but we now have a manager who I believe will point us in the right direction and get us up the table. It’s definitely my aim to be successful at this club. The fans, the staff and my teammates have been great with me from the moment I joined and I want to be great for them.

“I just want to keep working hard and performing for Everton. We know we are in a tough place at the moment in the league but I’m eager to help the team improve this season and then aim for success in the future, which will include playing in our new stadium.

“This contract will take me to more than 10 years at Everton and I want to build a legacy here to put myself up there with the likes of Neville Southall to be one of the best keepers to have played for Everton.”