Is tomorrow Everton attacking midfielder’s last chance?

Less than six months ago Davy Klaassen was leading his Ajax Amsterdam side on to the pitch to play the Europa League final against Manchester United. Now he finds himself an outcast in a struggling Everton side, unable to even get on the substitutes’ bench. What went wrong for the Dutchman?

Klaassen was a big part of Everton’s preseason, and fans easily noticed that he seemed a step or two off the pace. He was constantly getting caught in possession of the ball, and often losing it too. There were occasional glimpses of his passing vision, but with most of Everton’s forwards four static, there was little working for him.

And once Ronald Koeman started feeling the pressure eventually leading to his sacking, Klaassen was one of the first players to get axed as there was less and less wiggle room for Koeman. Since David Unsworth took over, even Sandro Ramirez has worked his way back into reckoning, but it appears there’s no place for Klaassen.

During the pre-match press conference ahead of the tomorrow’s dead-rubber Europa League game, Unsworth was asked if Klaassen was available and if his large transfer fee was weighing him down.

“Davy trained today and is available for the game. Forget the price tag. The price tag isn’t Davy’s responsibility, nor is it the responsibility of any player who comes to this football club.

“The team has been struggling throughout the season and I’m not going to single out anybody, that would be wrong of me. The team has to perform as a team, since it’s a team game, and that’s the message I’ve tried to get across.

“As a group we’ve underperformed, and not won enough games. I take that responsibility, and we take that responsibility as a team.”