'I'll step up' - Jordan Pickford vows to take a penalty for England at World Cup

The Everton goalkeeper has revealed he would have no hesitation in stepping up to take a penalty for England during the World Cup. Pickford is currently with the Three Lions squad in Florida as preparations continue ahead of warm-up matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica. Alongside his regular goalkeeping work, he has also been practising his finishing.

The 32-year-old already has a strong reputation in penalty shootouts after making crucial saves for England at the 2018 World Cup, Euro 2020 and Euro 2024. He also scored a penalty against Switzerland in the 2019 Nations League finals.

Asked whether he would be willing to take a penalty at the World Cup, Pickford left little doubt about his confidence. He told reporters: "Yes. I'd back myself 100 per cent. I'll put the practice in and execute it."

The goalkeeper stressed that his primary responsibility remains protecting England's goal, but insisted he would be ready if called upon in a knockout shootout.

"I want to focus on the saving as well," he added. "So there is a balance. If called upon, I play for England, I represent the country, so I’ll step up and take it when needs be. I’m keeping that work close to my chest. We’ll probably start implementing that a little bit, soon."

Pickford's confidence from 12 yards has been recognised within the England setup for several years. Former England manager Gareth Southgate previously highlighted the goalkeeper's ability after his successful penalty against Switzerland in the Nations League.

"With the players that were left on the pitch, he was one of the leading penalty takers and he executed it as well as he could," Southgate said. "We weren’t against Jordan taking a penalty at the World Cup in Russia. A few others had probably shown a better level but he would be among our better penalty takers. You feel more nervous putting a goalkeeper on a penalty but he was there on merit."

England arrived in the United States on Monday to begin the final stage of their tournament preparations. Friendly matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica will give the squad an opportunity to fine-tune their plans before competitive action begins.

Three Lions will open their Group L campaign against Croatia in Dallas on June 17, followed by clashes against Ghana on June 23 and Panama four days later.