Pickford confident international break will benefit Sunderland

Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford believes his spell with the England Under-21s can help him come back flying to the Premier League as his side bid to avoid relegation.

The stopper has been a revelation for the Black Cats since breaking through last season, making 22 appearances so far this term, all despite missing the festive period due to a knee injury.

In spite of Sunderland’s plight, Pickford’s form has earned him a recall to the England Under-21 fold and he is hoping the mentorship of national No.1 Joe Hart can launch him into the senior ranks.

The 23-year-old is also convinced his spell away can be a boost to Sunderland too, believing the side as a whole can benefit from an international break.

(Photo by Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty Images)

“I haven’t been there for a while so it’ll be nice to get a couple of games,” he said. “Hopefully we can get a couple of positive results and I can come back flying.

“I want to go there and then come back and focus on the rest of the season with Sunderland, but it’s always a bonus when you go away with England and like I said, hopefully I can come back with some wins ahead of the Euros.

“As a whole group it [the international break] should help us because the lads who don’t go away will get a good week of training, and maybe a couple of days to freshen up as well.

“We’ll all come back flying!”