WHEN Gareth Southgate selects his team to face Iran in England’s opening World Cup group game next week, Jordan Pickford will be the first name on the team sheet.

Clearly, that’s because he’s the goalkeeper. But even if Southgate was not listing his players in numerical order, there’s still a good chance the Wearsider would come right at the top.

Harry Kane might be Southgate’s talismanic captain, but it is Pickford that has emerged as the beating heart of the England side that has evolved over the course of the last six years.

Whether roaring his side on with a chest-beating sense of pride and passion, sparking counter-attacks with his razor-sharp passing or making point-blank saves at crucial moments, Pickford was integral to both the run to the semi-finals of the last World Cup in Russia and the successes that enabled England to reach the final of last summer’s Euros. If there is to be further joy in Qatar over the next few weeks, the Washington-born 28-year-old is once again likely to be key.

“Jordan knows the belief I have in him,” said Southgate, shortly after selecting the North-Easterner as his number one ahead of the World Cup in Russia. “He is an important fit for the way we want to play.”

That importance has only increased since, hence why Southgate has been so quick to back Pickford whenever his place in the side has been questioned.

Initially, there was a suggestion that Pickford was too small to play in goal at the very highest level, a criticism that was voiced by Thibaut Courtois after England lost to Belgium in the group stages of the last World Cup, but that was quickly batted away by Southgate.

Then, in the lead-up to the Euros, there was talk that Pickford’s club form was not good enough, with some high-profile errors with Everton leading a number of pundits and commentators to suggest it was time for a change.

Southgate stood firm, just as he had before Russia, and on both occasions his loyalty was rewarded. Pickford was excellent in the latter stages of the last World Cup, memorably saving from Carlos Bacca as England finally banished their penalty shoot-out hoodoo to beat Colombia in their first knockout game.

He was every bit as good at the last Euros, with a wonder save from Kai Havertz and a one-on-one stop against Timo Werner proving crucial to England’s knockout win against Germany.

This time around, thanks to an excellent start to the season with Everton, Pickford heads into his latest major tournament with his place in the side not really being debated. Nick Pope has been in fine form with Newcastle and played in the Nations League in the autumn when Pickford was injured, but it is hard to find anyone who seriously believes Southgate should be switching his keepers.

Instead, it is the England manager himself who finds his position under threat, a situation Pickford regards as ridiculous given how much they have achieved together in the last six years.

“Gareth is a brilliant manager,” said Pickford. “He is brilliant, and we will go to the World Cup positive. We will give it our best shot, and hopefully bring the cup home. For us, it is about making the nation proud and doing our best in the tournament. We know what we are capable of doing.”