As Everton captain Seamus Coleman has declared, his leadership comes from inside, but who might steer the Blues on the pitch next season if the Irishman isn’t there? Coleman remains a hugely-influential figure at Goodison Park but given that he turns 34 in October, there also has to be a realisation that he cannot continue as a Premier League footballer forever.
Everton splashed out £11.5million plus add-ons when acquiring Scotland international Nathan Patterson from Rangers in January and the 20-year-old is viewed as the Blues’ long-term solution when it comes to the right-back position. The Glaswegian’s first team opportunities might have been sparse so far – a solitary 45-minute run-out at home to non-League Boreham Wood in the FA Cup – but next term he is expected to provide his skipper with a much more sustained challenge for his jersey.
While model professional Coleman remains super-fit, former Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti’s claim that he could keep playing until he is 40 seemed somewhat optimistic. The likes of Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta might have got away with it at Milan but the game is played at a less frantic pace in Italy.
