Sunderland stopper Jordan Pickford has given an interview to the club's official website, revealing his thoughts on the club's form, his impressive kicking and the Boxing Day trip to the Theatre of Dreams.
The 22-year-old has emerged as the Black Cats' new number one after replacing Vito Mannone earlier in the season, and produced some inspiring performances, despite managing just two clean sheets.
The Englishman has drawn plenty of praise from pundits and fans alike, with many touting him to come into the national setup.
Speaking to safc.comabout recent results, he said: "We had a good chance against Watford to get three points and that's what we did.
"We struck together as a team and while we didn't play great football in the first half we stuck at it and got the result. We pushed forward more after the interval and played really well. We played well against Chelsea but Thibaut Courtois made a decent stop in the end.�
The Washington-born goalkeeper has been noticed for his kicking attributes since taking up his position between the sticks at the Stadium of Light.
He added: "I just used to go out onto the field and practice my kicking. When I was a young lad myself and a couple of the lads played and it kind of just came from that. I always like kicking long distances so that's what I always practised. The more I did it the more I learnt and the better I got. Now it's just a case of doing it on a consistent basis."
Pickford will be tasked with keeping out the likes of superstars Paul Pogba andin-formZlatan Ibrahimovic on Boxing day, as Sunderland travel to Old Trafford to face a revitalised Manchester United side - a clashthe young manis relishing.
"This is why the Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world because we are going up against some top, top players.
"We have got to go there and show we don't fear them. We have to stick to our game plan, keep a clean sheet and then like you say anything can happen."