There is a trap set for young English players, over-hyped, over-rated and over-paid, they are never quite as good as they seem and rarely live up to the expectations we create for them.

It is wise to be wary of grand statements, it is helpful to avoid making bold declarations about what they will go on to achieve, yet when it comes to Sunderland’s Jordan Pickford, it is hard not to get excited.

At the age of 23, as he comes to the end of his first season as a Premier League player, Pickford has shown enough to suggest he could well be the best goalkeeper this country has produced in more than a decade.

He has not done it in flashes, his brilliance has not been sporadic, Pickford has made the incredible look routine. It is time to believe the hype. If Pickford chooses his next move wisely, he could well be England’s first-choice goalkeeper when they go to the World Cup in 12 months’ time.

David Moyes is not a comedian, his jokes are almost as bad as Sunderland’s results, but in trying to crack one after Sunderland’s victory over Hull last weekend, he made a salient point.