Sunderland AFC goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has stated that leaving the Stadium of Light is something that he hasn't and won't want to look at, as the Black Cats continue their relegation battle on Saturday against West Ham United.

Don't want to move just yet

The 23-year-old has been touted as one of the brightest talents in the Academy of Light for some time, and has gone on to make the No.1 jersey his own on Wearside.

He has proven one of the bright sparks in what has been a pretty dreadful season for David Moyes' side, which has seen Pickford earn a call-up for the England senior side for the first time.

Pickford's efforts have also been rewarded with a nomination for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, taking on Tottenham's Deli Alli and Harry Kane, Burnley's Michael Keane, Everton's Romelu Lukaku and Manchester City's Leroy Sané.

The Washington-born keeper's performances haven't gone unnoticed with Pickford been linked with a move to the likes of Everton and Manchester United, but he stated that he hasn't even thought about leaving the Black Cats anytime soon.

“(Leaving) is not something I’ve looked at yet," Pickford told The Chronicle. "It’s not something I want to look at either."

“Obviously I want to stay up in the Premier League," the 23-year-old stated to the local paper "And to help keep Sunderland up would be a dream."

“It’s going to be hard for us to do." the goalkeeper admitted. "Not staying up would be a kick in the teeth."

“As a local lad I know what this means to the fans," Pickford added. "We as a team will be doing all we can try and avoid that."

An inspiration to the youngsters

Pickford is one of a handful of youngsters that have broken through or are on the edge of the first-team, with the likes of Lynden Gooch and George Honeyman doing well in Moyes' side.

One of them that are on the cusp of the starting XI is Ethan Robson, and the 20-year-old stated that he was inspired by Pickford's rise to prominence.

"I went to the same school as Jordan," Robson told safc.com. "I suppose you could say I look up to him."

“He has done some great things in the game at such a young age," the defender stated. "He is doing really well for Sunderland."

“As a youngster I have just got to keep believing (that I can go on to achieve the kind of things Jordan has)," Robson concluded. "Hopefully that will be me one day.”

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Danial  Kennedy
Award-winning sports journalism graduate. Currently studying a PR Masters at the University of Sunderland. Writing for VAVEL since August 2014. Twitter - @ddkjournalism.