Everton: Sky Sports pundit baffled by what Nathan Patterson did in Scotland v Northern Ireland
Sky Sports pundit Kris Boyd was left baffled after an error from Everton ace Nathan Patterson led to a Northern Ireland goal against Scotland on Tuesday night.
The Toffees defender was named in the starting lineup for the friendly, but lost possession in his own box which allowed Liverpool youngster Conor Bradley to score his first international goal with a stunning effort.
And while covering the game live on Sky Sports (26 March), Boyd admitted he didn’t understand what the 22-year-old was trying to do.
“I don’t know what Nathan Patterson is doing,” he said.
“First of all he takes a bad touch, then he goes chasing after it. Then he recovers and tries to play a pass into Ryan Christie, then Conor Bradley just takes it off him and bends it into the top corner.
“It takes a little nick off of Jack Hendry which lifts it over Angus Gunn. But the way Bradley went after Patterson – he is on the left-hand side and Bradley is on the right – it’s great and it’s a great finish.”
Patterson is super low on confidence, Everton need to help
Everton have got an abundance of options at right-back, with Sean Dyche often preferring to use Ben Godfrey in recent weeks.
Captain Seamus Coleman and veteran Ashley Young have also been used regularly this season, but Patterson has struggled for any consistent game time this season.
When he has played he’s usually performed fairly well, and it’s clear there is a fantastic talent there but right now he is desperately low on confidence.
He’s found himself relegated to fourth-choice in his position behind two players who aren’t even natural full-backs, and after an incident with the manager during the warm-weather camp in Portugal things aren’t looking good.
If the Toffees can’t help him get his confidence back up between now and the end of the season then it will probably be best for everyone if he moves on this summer and starts his career again.
In other Everton news, Sky Sports have shared the three things that must happen for 777 to get full control of the club.
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