England and Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford gave a rather surprising answer when naming the Three Lions’ best finisher besides the forwards.
It’s hard to look past England captain Harry Kane when discussing finishing ability.
Given the fact that the Bayern Munich striker is the Three Lions’ record goalscorer - with 76 strikes in 111 appearances – it’s fair to say he’s the best finisher in Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
But who else is blessed with top-class finishing ability but doesn’t get the recognition?
Advert
Well, who better to ask than the man trying to stop the ball from hitting the back of the net in Three Lions training, Pickford.
During Thursday’s 2-0 World Cup qualifier win over Serbia at Wembley, the 31-year-old, who boasts 81 caps for his country, became the first England goalkeeper to go nine consecutive competitive matches without conceding - breaking Peter Shilton’s record from 1989.
And the record was yet another to add to his now lengthy list of achievements in an England shirt, having already kept the most clean sheets in a tournament with 11 in major finals.
But even the best, like Pickford, can do very little when they face the best finishers in the game.
Speaking to SPORTbible at the launch of Sports Direct’s elevated flagship store in Liverpool, Pickford named Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice as the best finisher in the England squad behind the “natural goalscorers” such as Kane and Bukayo Saka.
“They are all decent, to be fair,” Pickford said when discussing the England squad’s collective ability to finish.
“I think Declan Rice [is the best]; he’s got [that] whip when he hits the ball, apart from the wingers and strikers… I think Dec has that finish in him.
"We saw in the Champions League [against Real Madrid] last year that he has got that finish in his locker.”
And Pickford has a point, the former West Ham man is widely recognised for his versatility as the 26-year-old forms an impressive blend of defensive ability and tidiness on the ball, which has been further enhanced by adding goals to his game in recent years.
Since arriving at Arsenal from the Hammers for a club-record £105 million in 2023, Rice has registered 18 goals and 25 assists in 120 appearances for the Gunners.
While at West Ham, he managed 15 strikes and 13 assists in 125 more games, which lends itself to his improvement going forward.
Both Pickford and Rice are arguably guaranteed starters for both club and country, with the duo undoubtedly already dreaming of lifting the World Cup in North America next summer.
The goalkeeper described how winning the World Cup with the Three Lions is his “number one” goal in football followed by lifting silverware with Everton - something the Toffees have failed to do since their 1995 FA Cup triumph.
“I think, for me, to lift that World Cup or a major trophy for England would be number one, and if I could ever get silverware at Everton, that would be number two,” Pickford told BBC Sport earlier in November.
“It has been that long since England has won something, and to be a part of that would be amazing."
England return to action against Albania on Sunday.
Topics: England, Football, Harry Kane, Jordan Pickford, Premier League, Spotlight
Luke Davies