Everton boss Frank Lampard must back Nathan Patterson – Michael Ball
Michael Ball has called for Everton boss Frank Lampard to back Blues youngster Nathan Patterson in the closing stages of the season.
The 20-year-old performed excellently for Scotland during the international break where he admitted he hoped his club boss was watching.
Ball claimed Patterson’s introduction could give the team a “breath of fresh air” as they aim to secure Premier League survival with eight games to play.
The former Toffees player wrote in his Liverpool Echo column: “Maybe Nathan’s one of those players that when it matters, they’re going to perform and he’s going to show what he can do.
“He was pushing for games at Rangers and got a move to Everton Football Club so maybe that’s his style and that’s the way he is.
“We’d like to see him because Seamus, with the age he is, he’s putting in everything he can but at this level when you leave the door half open, the opposition take advantage of that. Maybe Frank feels like he doesn’t want to put Nathan in there, in this environment.
“I disagree. There’s so many youngsters that just come in and they’re like a breath of fresh air.
“They’ve got nothing on their shoulders. They’re just going to go out and express themselves. They’ve got no fear of the opposition, they’re just going to go out and be the player that got themselves that opportunity in the first place.”
Trust him
You can understand why Lampard isn’t throwing him in at the deep end. Young players can be very fragile and at times Everton can be a very toxic place if the team isn’t doing well.
All it takes is one bad performance from the Scotland international and then the fans will be on his back. You would hope they would understand his lack of experience, but they were to give him a tough time, it could completely knock the lads’ confidence.
It would be nice to see him play though. Despite being a club legend and the most senior player in the squad Seamus Coleman needs a rest. The right-back has been off the pace of late and as brutal as it sounds could do with retiring.
Patterson put in a brilliant performance when he started against Austria. The defender showed great pace, aggression and drive in attack and defence down the right-hand side which is something the Blues have been crying out for.
In other Everton news, Anthony Gordon raves over Joe Edwards’ impact at Finch Farm.
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