Report: Former Everton coach Oliveira believes Virginia should push for loan exit
Former Everton goalkeeping coach Hugo Oliveira believes Joao Virginia needs to leave Goodison Park to help him realise his potential.
Virginia made his Premier League debut for Everton against Burnley last weekend after Jordan Pickford was forced off through injury.
Having signed for the Blues from Arsenal in the summer of 2018, the 21-year old made just his second senior appearance for the club against the Clarets, having started and kept a clean sheet against Salford City in the Carabao Cup earlier in the season.
Oliveira, who was Everton’s goalkeeping coach during Marco Silva’s tenure as manager, was thrilled to see his former signing make his league debut on Saturday.
Speaking exclusively to The Liverpool Echo, Oliveira discussed Virginia’s previous loan spell with Reading, where he was frozen out after making a handful of errors in just two Championship games.
Oliveira encouraged Virginia to seek game time away from Goodison Park if he is to challenge Jordan Pickford in the long-run, suggesting that his former loan failure was an important step in his development.
Oliveira said: “It [Reading loan] was important. For some people, a loan is only positive when you go away and play games.
“But it is also important in the context of facing difficulties. He didn’t play many games but he grew in terms of being more mature and now knowing how to react in different locker rooms and with a different kind of pressure.
“You can only grow if you are taken out of your comfort zone. He needs to develop. He has gone up a level, for sure, but, because he is hungry. He has the capacity for hard work and he is ambitious – very ambitious.
“And so it is important in the next year he plays games professionally. Everton have Jordan Pickford and Olsen and so it is important for that year that Joao plays professionally so he can return and fight for the spot.”
Important next step
Once Pickford and Olsen are both passed fit and ready to play, Virginia will once again find himself relegated to third-choice goalkeeper, so a loan spell could be beneficial for him.
In the report from The Liverpool Echo, Oliveira describes Virginia as having the “potential to be one of the best of his generation”, and we’re never likely to see that potential realised unless he gets minutes under his belt.
The Reading loan was unfortunate but ultimately these things happen sometimes in football, and especially as a goalkeeper, you’re more likely to be dropped if you cannot rise to the occasion immediately – clubs simply can’t take the risk otherwise.
If Virginia does want to have a long-term future at Goodison Park where he occupies Everton’s No.1 spot, a loan move does seem like the most appropriate next step.
Under the correct manager and with the correct guidance, Virginia could greatly benefit from spending some time away from Merseyside.
In other Everton news, Fenerbahce are interested in signing Everton forward Josh King in the summer.