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Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has stated that he will “always” be a Sunderland fan, despite his allegiance to the Toffees, while also admitting that he was “nervous” to make his long-awaited return to the Stadium of Light.

The England number one is a product of the Black Cats’ celebrated academy system, but left Wearside in the wake of the club’s relegation from the Premier League back in 2017. Since then, he has gone on to establish himself as a hero on Merseyside, racking up some 349 appearances at the time of writing, and often playing a pivotal role in Everton’s repeated efforts to keep themselves in the top flight across recent seasons.

Pickford’s success in doing so, combined with Sunderland’s lengthy absence from the Premier League, had meant that the 32-year-old hadn’t faced his boyhood club in the near-decade since his departure prior to the current campaign, but he would come up against the Black Cats twice in the space of a couple of months earlier this term.

First, Pickford and his Everton side would play out a 1-1 at the Stadium of Light in early November, before suffering a penalty shootout defeat on home soil in an FA Cup third round clash just after the turn of the year. And while the ex-Sunderland talent has expressed his delight at having the Black Cats back in the Premier League, he has also suggested that his Stadium of Light homecoming left him feeling unusually trepidatious.

What has Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford said about Sunderland?

Speaking in a recent interview with Sky Sports, Pickford was asked if he would still consider himself to be a Sunderland fan, to which he responded: “Yeah, always be a Sunderland fan. They’re doing amazing. We got beat against them in the cup, which we were disappointed about, so they’re a tough side. You see some of the results they’re picking up this season, where they are in the league – they’re doing really well. To be fair, buzzing to see them back in the league, but we need to get above them for Everton Football Club… sorry Sunderland fans!”

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On his return to the Stadium of Light, he continued: “I don’t get nervous, but I was a bit nervous going back. Probably the only time I’ve ever been nervous, football-wise, going back there. They know how passionate of a Sunderland fan I am, and I think they’ve got that respect. If you notice, the Everton-Sunderland respect as well – good, grouped fanbase where we respect each other.

“I assumed they were going to react good. I was praying they did! But it was just going back to my own club for the first time since I left, walking down the stairs, down the tunnel, having to turn right instead of turning left.”