Rory Delap not surprised by Pickford’s rise at Sunderland

Jordan Pickford’s emergence in the last 12 months appeared to come out of the blue, but ex-Sunderland star Rory Delap is adamant the goalkeeper has always possessed the talent to make it in the Premier League.

Pickford has burst onto the scene at the Stadium of Light, displacing Vito Mannone and making the number one shirt his own.

Sunderland have struggled this season but Pickford has been a revelation, and, with his contract up at the end of the season, a number of top clubs are rumoured to be fighting for his signature.

And Delap, who played at Sunderland in 2006-07, believes the 22-year-old has the quality to make it at the top after playing alongside him at Burton Albion in 2013.

“You could see from the day he came in that he had quality,” explained Delap. “It didn’t take an expert to see his potential.

“Sometimes you see that in young lads but they fall by the wayside, while some go on to have exceptional careers, and I’m pretty early on we saw Jordan’s commitment and attitude to football.”

“He’s had a great 12 months, getting into Sunderland’s first-team and the England set-up, and hopefully he’ll go on to have a very good career.”