Preston North End's Bailey Wright has praised on-loan stopper Jordan Pickford.
Pickford arrived on a season-long loan from Sunderland in the summer but his performances at Deepdale have provoked plenty of rumours that he could be recalled by new boss Sam Allardyce is January, with the 61-year-old saying plenty of good things about him to the press recently.
However, Wright is hopeful of that not happening as the 21-year-old has proven to be a key player for the Lilywhites, keeping nine clean sheets in his 18 appearances for the Championship outfit, putting him on the verge of a clean sheet record.
Wright full of praise for young stopper
Speaking to the Lancashire Evening Post this week, Wright didn't hold back in praising his temporary teammate, telling the publication that Pickford "has been brilliant" for Preston.
Part of the back line that sits in front of the youngster, the 23-year-old is the perfect man to assess Pickford's performances, and he is not surprised by the speculation regarding a January recall given the quality the goalkeeper has.
"When you play as well as he has done, you are going to get noticed," the defender said, "whether by his own manager or other managers" - the latter referring to the transfer rumours that have surrounded the stopper, with the likes of Manchester United and Aston Villa reportedly interested in his services.
However, Wright is confident that Pickford will not let any of this talk get to him and affect his performances, saying that he is "sure" that he "will keep level-headed" in order to "keep doing what he has been doing" which is helping him "develop into a great 'keeper."
The defender also expressed his desire for Preston to keep Pickford "for as long as [they] can," as he brings many great qualities to his role.
"He commands his box well and we have all seen how he kicks," with the 21-year-old's distribution often singled out as a key strength of his.
As well as this, Wright feels comfortable in front of the loanee because he "comes for crosses and his communication with the defenders is good," and with him having kept clean sheets in half his games so far, this relationship between the back line and the 'keeper is one that Preston will not want disrupted in the New Year.
Preston assistant echoes good words
Pickford is not just impressing his temporary teammates though, but also the coaching staff at Deepdale, with Preston's assistant Glynn Snodin also heaping praise on the 21-year-old.
Snodin told the Lancashire Evening Post that the youngster "has got better with each game" and that he has "matured" during the loan spell so far.
It is not Pickford's first time out on loan, but his first time in the second tier, and he is clearly learning a lot during his spell with the Lilywhites.
One of those lessons may be about playing behind a back three, as opposed to a typical back four, with Snodin believing that the way that the defenders have been playing in front of him has the 'keeper "feeling a lot more confident."
As for keeping Pickford for the rest of the season, when asked if Sunderland had been in contact about a recall, Preston's assistant said that the club have "not heard anything" about that possibility, and that they are hopeful of him staying "for the rest of the season."
Allardyce's recent comments suggest that this is likely, with him saying that the Black Cats' problem lie "in front of the goalkeeper," as opposed to in that particular position.