Frank McAvennie has said that Nathan Patterson’s lack of action at Everton so far ‘worries’ him.
The lowdown
The Toffees paid £12m, potentially rising to £16m with add-ons, to sign the 20-year-old during the January transfer window.
Patterson had been restricted to a mere two starts in the Scottish Premiership for Rangers as he competed with James Tavernier for the right-back spot. He has already worked under three different bosses at Goodison Park, but is yet to get any playing time in the first team.
Rafael Benitez left him on the bench for the FA Cup clash with Hull City and the Premier League game against Norwich. Duncan Ferguson then omitted him from the squad altogether for the visit of Aston Villa, before the youngster returned to the bench for Frank Lampard’s first game in charge against Brentford at the weekend, albeit without getting a run.
The latest
Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie suggested that Everton perhaps ought to have loaned Patterson out so that he could play regular football, but he remains confident that the move will be a success given Lampard’s track record with young talent.
The former Celtic forward said: “He still hasn’t played, has he? So he’s gone from the bench at Rangers to the bench at Everton. I don’t blame him for moving.
“He was never going to get a game there. Maybe he should have been loaned out by Everton if he wasn’t going to play.
“It worries me that he isn’t playing and the Rangers mistake is being repeated but I’ve said before I think he has a future there.
“Lampard loves working with those youngsters. He did it at Derby and Chelsea so I’m sure he will be at all of the academy games.
“Obviously Patterson needs to work hard but I think his chances of playing have increased now.”
The verdict
Despite McAvennie’s concerns, it’s still very early days for Patterson on Merseyside. Everton have only played five times since he came to the club, and it’s not as if the youngster isn’t in the first-team picture whatsoever.
This should be viewed as a long-term signing: the Scotsman only turned 20 last autumn and he penned a five-and-a-half-year contract upon his arrival at Goodison Park.
Furthermore, Seamus Coleman is now 33 and is into the final 18 months of his deal, so perhaps we should expect to see Patterson gradually establish himself under Lampard, ready to take over as first-choice right-back if the Irish veteran departs at the end of the 2022/23 season.
In other news, Frank Lampard’s ‘pulling power’ will apparently lead to more ‘mega’ transfers
