Saturday 17 September 2016 14:32, UK
David Moyes wants Jordan Pickford to take inspiration from England goalkeeper Joe Hart as he aims to establish himself as a Premier League player.
The 22-year-old Sunderland goalkeeper has endured a testing start to the season after being drafted in for the injured Vito Mannone, with new boss Moyes trying to mould a team in front of him.
Pickford's late slip at Southampton saw the Saints snatch a point but he turned in a good individual display in the 3-0 defeat to Everton and Moyes, who has high hopes for the England U21 international, has challenged him to learn from Hart and his contemporaries to take the next step in his development.
"He needs to continue to up his level, he needs to continue to change his body and his frame. I remember Joe Hart when he first left Shrewsbury to come up - when you look at him compared to the shape and the size he looks now.
"There's a lot of work the goalkeepers, especially young goalkeepers, have to put in in the gym, through their level of commitment in their work, and Jordan should look at these people and how they were when they left at 21 and 22 years old and how they shape up now.
"There'll be a big difference in how he would see them."
Moyes is aware that Pickford is a young man playing in a position in which experience can be priceless but the Scot is confident his early exposure to the Premier League, which will continue at Tottenham on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1 HD, will pay dividends in the long run.
He said: "I actually think Jordan will be pleased with his performance [against Everton] - and he should be pleased because I thought he played well. He handled well and he did his bit.
"But he is going to get worked, that's for sure, so he's going to be put under pressure. It was important that he came through this game well because he played well at Southampton, but let one slip and maybe if another one had gone in, we would have had to look at him a bit closer.
"But I thought he played very well. He looks as if he's got real potential to go on and become a first-class goalkeeper."
Watch Tottenham v Sunderland, as part of Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1 HD.
