Jordan Pickford on his loan spell
Goakeeper Jordan Pickford spoke to us shortly after signing his one month loan deal with the club on Saturday morning.
"I am really looking forward to this," he said. "It's just up the road as well so it will be a good experience for me. I played in League Two at the start of the season so this will be another step up for me.
"I played on Monday against Newcastle, and then played another game on Thursday, and the staff at Sunderland then asked me if I fancied coming here on loan. I said I'd be happy to come as soon as I heard about it because as a keeper it's important to get games. It will be a really good experience so I couldn't really say no to it."
"I was only just 17 when I went to Darlington so that was a really good learning curve for me," he admitted. "I was playing in the reserves last season before I got the chance to go to Alfreton in February. I really enjoyed my football there and felt I played well. Burton was another step up, which really helped me, so I'm looking forward to this period now.
"Playing games really helps with confidence and as you get into the loan spell you can feel yourself learning and maturing as a keeper. You learn when to come for things and when not to, so I think maturity is one of the main things I'm gaining from these loan spells.
"The staff at Sunderland have just told me to do what they know I'm capable of doing. I'll just keep my head down and be as good as I can be. Hopefully that will bring some good performances."
"Coming here and playing for the first time is made easier by the fact that I know Kav has watched me and picked me to come on loan," he said. "I already know Liam Noble and Brad Potts so it's always good to walk into the dressing room and see some familiar faces.
"There's obviously three keepers here at the moment fighting over the number one shirt which makes it all really competitive. It does make you want to perform even better in training because you know you need to be at your best to make sure you're playing in the games.
"My overall aim is to get into the first team at Sunderland but I know I need to take things step by step. Hopefully that approach will bring success and I'll get some games for Sunderland. I think I'm close to 40 competitive games now so I just want to get as many more as possible under my belt and hopefully it will all pay off."
United Player subscribers can see a video interview with Jordan Pickford now. Click HERE to go to the Player platform. Follow the same link for more information on United Player, and to subscribe.
Click HERE to see a clip from this interview on our YouTube channel. Follow the same link for more FREE content right from the heart of the club.
