Elliott Cuff

Wed 7 April 2021 18:47, UK

Former Everton defender Michael Ball has questioned why Carlo Ancelotti hasn’t yet given Josh King the opportunity to impress for the club.

The Norway international has yet to start for the Toffees since signing from Bournemouth in February, having emerged as a second-half substitute in the Premier League on eight occasions.

The 29-year old was forced to watch from the bench as Everton slumped to a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace on Monday, courtesy of a late equalising goal from Michy Batshuayi.

Both Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin left a lot to be desired against the Eagles, leading former Toffees left-back Ball to question why King wasn’t given a run out at Goodison Park.

Reflecting on the Palace draw in his column for the Liverpool Echo, Ball said: “We have Josh King there too. What is going on there? Is he not doing enough in training? Was he not a player Carlo Ancelotti wanted in the first place?

“But he would have freshened things up against Palace. He might not be here for the long-term, but bring someone on with a desire to do well, with a freshness, to put the ball in the back of the net.

“Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison have done so well for us this season but Monday just wasn’t their night. Put Josh King on. Get him on the pitch. Let’s see what he’s all about.

“We’ve brought him to the club, so why not give him his moment?”

Questions that need answering

Ancelotti’s unwillingness to give King a chance in the starting line-up should certainly be questioned, especially given Everton’s recent run in the Premier League.

Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin were both uncharacteristically poor against Crystal Palace, making that game the best possible time for King to come on and prove his worth. Instead we saw defender Ben Godfrey and holding midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin emerge in the second half.

Ancelotti was content to absorb pressure and allow Palace to push at Everton’s defence which ultimately proved to be the club’s undoing, and it does raise questions over the Italian’s decision making.

Richarlison failed to take a handful of golden opportunities alone, and with the Brazilian failing to convert, why wasn’t King given the chance to make more of those chances?

At this point, it must be assumed that King isn’t doing it for Ancelotti in training, because we’ve barely seen enough of him on the pitch to determine his long-term worth.

Still, if King is allowed to leave in the summer based purely on his lack of intensity in training it will be a huge shame, and Ancelotti should allow him the opportunity to stake his claim over his long-term future before the season draws to a close.