Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti says his England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford must stop over-thinking and instead “use his instinct more”.
Pickford, 26, was dropped for Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Newcastle but will return for Saturday’s Premier League match against Manchester United.
But he has retained the support of both Ancelotti and his international boss Gareth Southgate.
“There’s no doubt he is, and will be, better in the future,” Ancelotti said.
“He knows what to do tomorrow. His mentality is good, I don’t want to change it. I think sometimes he made mistakes because he thought too much.”
Since the beginning of the 2019-20 season, Pickford has made five errors which have directly led to a goal, which is the joint-most of any top-flight goalkeeper alongside Newcastle’s Martin Dubravka.
The England number one has also come under scrutiny for his challenge on Virgil van Dijk in the Merseyside derby, which resulted in a serious knee injury for the Liverpool defender.
“He has to use his instinct more, which is really good,” Ancelotti added.
“He made fantastic saves because when he reacts he’s really top. When he has to act, sometimes he makes some mistakes in that situation but he’s still a young goalkeeper with a lot of quality, and there he can improve.
“I’ve had fantastic goalkeepers, young, like [Italy great Gianluigi] Buffon and others that improved their quality through the mistakes they made in training.
“It will be the same for Jordan because the quality and also the character, the personality, is there.
“On the pitch he has to be focused on what he’s doing. He has to know where his quality is.”
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