'It's time' - Ex-Man Utd star Wes Brown believes Everton ace should leave this summer for one specific reason

Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown believes his ex-teammate Jordan Pickford should seek a move away from Everton this summer.

The two players were teammates at Sunderland prior to Pickford’s £30m club-record move (at the time) to Everton in 2017. Since then, he has gone on to become England’s undisputed number one keeper and make 273 appearances for the Toffees. Over the years, there has been interest from other clubs such as Manchester United as his future has been called into question but he has always been fully committed to the club and signed a new long-term-deal until 2027 last year.

Speaking to In the Zone, Brown has claimed Pickford deserves Champions League football and that he should seek a move away from the ‘terrible’ situation at Everton this summer. “Pickford was my teammate at Sunderland, he's a great lad and a good player. I just want him to go to a bigger club - sorry Everton fans. He needs to be in the Champions League or playing in Europe to get that experience. He'll start for England. 

“I think it's time, if there's a chance, for him to go to a bigger club to get that experience of being at the top level yearly. Everton was a great move for him from Sunderland and it's terrible what's happening at the club now with all the points deductions. I feel like he needs to play in a bigger team every week, I think it will help his game massively.”

Pickford outlined his long-term future at the club back in 2023 when he penned a new deal, claiming he is fully committed to playing at their stadium which is set to be sometime in the 2025/26 campaign. “I just want to keep working hard and performing for Everton. We know we are in a tough place at the moment in the league but I'm eager to help the team improve this season and then aim for success in the future, which will include playing in our new stadium.”