Mark Prudhoe believes competition between Jordan Pickford and Vito Mannone provides David Moyes with a headache worth having.
Pickford made his Premier League debut last season at Tottenham Hotspur, but had to wait until this season for the chance to cement his place between the posts.
Vito Mannone started the Black Cats’ opening game of the campaign at Manchester City but picked up an injury in training which saw the Washington-born stopper handed an opportunity to shine.
And it didn’t take long for the 22-year-old to flourish, making a string of big saves to help David Moyes’ side rack up some vital points in the top-flight.
However, a strained cruciate ligament injury on Boxing Day saw Pickford’s rise halted in its tracks. . .
Now back in training, though, goalkeeping coach at Sunderland, Prudhoe, has warned Pickford he still has plenty of work to do before he can become the club’s No.1 stopper.
“It’s been the worst injury Jordan has had in his career,” he admitted.
“But Dave Binningsley and the other physios have done a great job to get him back ahead of time.
“Now he has to hit the ground running, and take his opportunity when it comes again.
“He’s still got to become number one, in my opinion. That’s his next test.”
He continued: “He’s competing with Vito, who I worked with at Hull, and there is real healthy competition between them, which is great for the manager.”
