A few months before he made his England debut in 2017, Pickford joined Everton from Sunderland for an initial £25m.
Later that summer, Rooney, who had left Everton in 2004 and won five Premier League titles and the Champions League during 13 years at Manchester United, returned to Goodison Park.
“There was a price tag on me when I was being bought – the most expensive British keeper – so there was that pressure,” Pickford says to Rooney. “I’ve always enjoyed the pressure and I knew I had to do something early to get the fans behind me.
“In your first game we won 1-0 and you scored the header and I made a decent save in my first home Premier League game at Goodison, so I set myself off on a good stall.”
Rooney was instantly impressed with Pickford’s performances,
“At the time I thought, ‘this could be Everton and England’s number one goalkeeper for a long time’,” he says.
Nine years later and Pickford is just that – and in October signed a new contract to keep him with the Toffees until 2029.
But since he joined, Everton have not finished higher than eighth in the Premier League and they are in danger of missing out on European football for an eighth successive season.
During the interview, Rooney asks Pickford about his decision to stay.
“I don’t agree, but a lot of people say ‘why haven’t you moved on from Everton?'” he says.
“For you to be so loyal, to what you have been to the club, it’s quite rare these days.
“With your ability, you can say: ‘Well, do you want to go and play Champions League?’ But you’ve stuck with Everton. Why is it?”
