Jordan Pickford defends ‘brilliant’ Gareth Southgate ahead of World Cup

Jordan Pickford has leapt to the defence of “brilliant” England manager Gareth Southgate and insisted the squad will head to Qatar with positivity despite a six-match winless run.

The football World Cup will get under way next month with the team beginning their campaign against Iran before further Group B fixtures with USA and Wales.

Given England’s exploits at the European Championships in 2021 and the previous World Cup, they were predicted to be among the contenders next month but a poor run of form in the Nations League has cast doubt over their potential to lift silverware.

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