JORDAN Pickford believes his loan spells with City and at other clubs has helped his rise to the top.

England’s number one played 34 games for the Bantams in the 2014/2015 season - and was tipped to play for his country by Phil Parkinson.

Now in his second World Cup, the England stopper is lining up for battle against the USA tomorrow as the Three Lions aim to build on the 6-2 mauling of Iran in their group opener.

Pickford praised the value of his time spent learning his trade in the lower divisions for shaping him into becoming a regular on the international stage.

“The EFL is a great environment for a young player because it helps you massively,” he said, in an interview with the EFL.

“All those clubs were great loan spells to get me to where I am today and that’s definitely helped me in my career. Those clubs were amazing for me.

"The support I received along the way was amazing. The support from the fans at every loan club I went to.

“I interacted well with the fans and my performances, by giving 100 per cent on a matchday and trying my best for them. I think they bought into that and they were very supportive of me.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Jordan Pickford alongside Stephen Darby and Andrew Davies for CityJordan Pickford alongside Stephen Darby and Andrew Davies for City (Image: Thomas Gadd)

“I want to say thanks to my former clubs for giving me the opportunity to develop as an up-and-coming goalkeeper and make my dream come true of playing for England and in the Premier League. I appreciate the time they took.”

Parkinson had been alerted to Pickford’s potential six months before he made his move when the keeper was playing against City on loan at Carlisle.

Former Bantams goalkeeper coach Lee Butler said: “It was a windy Tuesday night up there and he was coming for stuff and making saves. I remember watching him thinking ‘this kid looks the part’.

“He caught Phil’s eyes as well so we thought we’d go for him in the summer. It got sorted while we were on tour in Ireland and we got him in a couple of weeks before the start of the season.

“To be honest, he was very raw when he first came in and it was difficult for him at first.

“But you could see he’d got talent – and Phil was convinced. He’d only been here two weeks and Phil was saying that Jordan will play for England one day.”

Everton keeper Pickford said that going out on loan at a young age was “the best thing I could ever do”.

He added: “You learn about yourself so much as a person and you’ve got to get stuck in early doors as a player. To have that mentality at such a young age, you learn early.”