Koeman reveals reason Kenny hasn’t had a senior team opportunity yet

With Everton’s struggles at the right back position, it has been bemusing for the fans that an England youth international continues to perform consistently for the Under-23 side while never getting a look in the senior squad.

Now manager Ronald Koeman has opened up about why he hasn’t given Jonjoe Kenny a chance to play in a competitive game, despite Seamus Coleman’s long term injury. Cuco Martina and Mason Holgate have both filled in at the role, but both have been awful for different reasons.

Unfortunately Koeman doesn’t see it the way the fans do - we couldn’t possibly be any worse off with Kenny could we? It’s not like the youngster can’t play in the spotlight, after all he just won the Under-20 World Cup this summer as well as captaining the Under-23 side to the Premier League 2 title last season.

Speaking to the Echo in the lead-up to tomorrow’s Premier League clash away at Manchester United, Koeman said -

“Okay, he is one of the talents. Sometimes and I know because I hear a lot of times the name of Kenny.

“I mentioned one time the Under-23s competition is not the Premier League and the standard of level of performing is a training session by the first-team.

“What I mentioned before. He is on my list, of course, but I think it’s not the moment to put Kenny in.

“But if I don’t get enough Sunday and next week then maybe yes there comes an opportunity for the boy, because he is a talent.

“But you can’t mention if someone is performing well for the U23 he is ready for the first team, it’s too easy, it’s too easy.”

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

He went on to add that midfielder Tom Davies was hitting the wall as well, despite breaking into the senior team with aplomb last season.

“That is for Kenny, that is for... Tom Davies was an exception, an exception. But Davies is now a little bit more struggling. Last season he came in the team and he is playing out of nothing.

“Every weekend he is playing out of nothing, he played with confidence and now he is thinking, he is thinking, he lost the spontaneity a little bit. That’s what.

“If you see the team yesterday (against Atalanta) there was no ‘I like football’ there was.. (shrugs). The difference is when you are winning is you get confidence. But they started they go for it, we started like ‘oh, oh, oh, afraid’.

“That’s’ what we need to change.”

Koeman reiterated that he still had faith in his squad.

“Still I believe in the team and in the quality of the players.

“But I know we need to change some things. If you change some things in the team Sunday is not the time to change a lot of things. Because Sunday is a game for men and experience. They need to show it.”