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Gareth Southgate insists Jordan Pickford's experience will allow him to stay focused despite Everton's points deduction as he hails the England No 1 for coping with 'a couple really difficult seasons' at club level

Gareth Southgate doesn’t have any concerns over goalkeeper Jordan Pickford being distracted by the points deduction crisis at his club Everton.

Pickford declined interview requests after England’s win against Malta on Friday, shouting ‘I wonder what you want to talk about’ as he walked past reporters, but Southgate was happy to back his No1 whose form has kept Everton in the Premier League for the past two seasons during fierce relegation battles.

Despite showing improvement this year under Sean Dyche, Everton are back to 19th in the table after being deducted 10 points by the Premier League for breaching financial rules, and face compensation claims from rivals.