Former Liverpool legend Michael Owen took to twitter to give his verdict after Everton agreed on a £30m sum with Sunderland for the services of young goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

The uncapped Englishman will become the Toffees’ record signing surpassing the £28m spent to bring Romelu Lukaku to Goodison three seasons ago. While Pickford has managed to earn admirers through his impressive performances last season, Owen still thinks the Toffees may have spent a little more on the shot-stopper as they look to make meaningful business for the summer, he wrote on Twitter: “Didn't expect Jordan Pickford to command such a high fee but there's no doubt he's a huge talent. Expect Everton's spending to continue.”

The 23-year-old first caught the glance of the footballing faithful back in January 2016 where he was in the wrong end of a 3-1 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal under former boss Sam Allardyce. He therein cemented his position as the club’s number one after having usurped former favourite Vito Mannone, who has sustained minor niggles over his career.

Pickford could not lift the Black Cats off the bottom of the Premier League table last term, but he managed to produce some standout performances, including one in a 2-0 defeat to the Gunners, which saved some embarrassment for the Wearside club.

Ronald Koeman had utilised the services of both Joel Robles and Maarten Stekelenburg in separate periods during the previous campaign, and he could now rely on a genuine number one with Pickford likely to use this opportunity to push for a place in England’s World Cup squad. Pickford has already earned himself a call-up under Gareth Southgate, and he will be a player on focus next season as he looks towards a fresh challenge with the Toffees, who are ambitious to make progress in Europe.