Polished Kenny Pushing Seamus To Deliver His Best

Seamus Coleman says he is having to produce his best football to hold onto Everton’s right-back spot with Academy graduate Jonjoe Kenny breathing down the Irishman’s neck.

Kenny advanced his own claims by delivering a string of accomplished performances when Coleman missed six weeks injured earlier this season.

The senior man returned for Everton’s 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday for his first club outing since the 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town on September 1.

Coleman sustained a foot problem on international duty last month, opening the door for England Under-21 defender Kenny to play six consecutive games – including the wins over Fulham and Leicester City which preceded Everton's Goodison Park success against Palace.

And Coleman insists Kenny, who played 19 times in the Premier League last term after making his full debut in the competition 12 months ago, is coming on at a rate which suggests he could nail down Everton’s right-back position for a decade.

Coleman was joined in the team against Palace by Portuguese midfielder Andre Gomes, while there was a place on the bench for Gomes’s fellow deadline-day arrival from Barcelona, centre-back Yerry Mina.

“We are playing in one of the best leagues in the world and for one of the best clubs in the league,” said Coleman.

“No place is ever guaranteed and I set myself high standards anyway. You always have to try to up your game.

“When I was coming through, I had Tony Hibbert helping me every step of the way.

“That is what I am trying to do for Jonjoe. Hopefully he can be an Everton right-back for 10 years, he is more than capable of doing that.


“Yerry has really taken to the Club. He is on my breakfast table every morning. His English is getting better and better every day, which shows me he is a player who wants to be here and wants to learn the language.

“He is mixing with the lads and a great fella. On the training pitch he is a different man, he is aggressive and wants to win everything.

“The two centre-halves in the team [Michael Keane and Kurt Zouma] are doing very well.


“We have competition for places all over the pitch now. And as well as signing good players during the transfer window, we signed really good fellas.”

Everton’s entire first-team squad attended Everton in the Community’s [EitC] Showcase at USM Finch Farm on Wednesday.

Coleman is ambassador for the charity’s disability pillar and, as such, appreciates the scale and impact of EitC’s work.

EitC's disability programme provides football and physical activities for more than a thousand disabled children and adults each year.


And Coleman was one of a group of players, also featuring Mina, Gomes, Keane and James McCarthy, who joined participants from the charity’s Down syndrome team for a high-octane kickabout during this week's event.


“The people who came in will remember the day for a long time and that is why it is important for us to be involved,” said Coleman.

“But it is not just making their day. You come to this type of event after a bad training session or bad game and they are putting smiles on our faces.

“The lads are delighted to be involved and it means a lot to be an ambassador for the charity. I am proud to put my name to it and help any way I can.

“Everton in the Community changes a lot of people’s lives… and they are saving people’s lives as well.

“It is a massive project and something the Club should be really proud of.

“Everton sets a huge example, we have the best community project in England, if not Europe.

“I have been here nine years and it has grown massively and is getting bigger all the time. It really is turning around people’s lives, which is great.”


Everton visit Manchester United on Sunday aiming for a fourth Premier League win on the spin.

Marco Silva’s team are eighth in the table, two places and one point above Sunday’s opponents – and six points shy of Chelsea in third.

United have claimed four points from their past two top-flight matches, most recently drawing 2-2 at Chelsea – 24 hours before goals in the final three minutes from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun saw Everton overcome Palace.

“It was a good result for us in the end, we left it late but it gives us confidence going into the next game,” added Coleman.

“Any time you go to Manchester United, no matter how they are doing, it is a tough game and a tough place to go."