Jonjoe Kenny believes he 'had to leave' Everton and England over the summer to continue his development.
The full-back called time on a nine-year spell at Goodison Park when his contract ended over the summer after 69 appearances for the Toffees. Unable to oust the ever-dependable Seamus Coleman on the right hand side, Kenny enjoyed several loan spells including, most recently as Schalke and Celtic.
But Everton's £12million signing of Nathan Patterson in January pushed the boyhood Blue further down the pecking order at Goodison Park, and when his contract ran down through the latter stages of last season, he made the decision to move on to pastures new. A return to Germany presented itself, with the 25-year-old signing on a free for Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin, and now speaking to German media, the former Toffee has explained his decision.
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“I loved the 16 years I spent at Everton since I was a youngster,” he told BZ-Berlin. “And I loved my time under Frank Lampard. But I felt I was ready for a change. Ready to become a man and a personality in my own right.
“To do that, I had to leave England and my comfort zone. Coming here was a great choice."
Kenny and Hertha have not enjoyed the most promising start to the Bundesliga season, with one win from 10 games leaving them 15th in the 18-team league. Sandro Schwarz' side have a crucial month ahead before the World Cup, and asked why the opening six-weeks of the season have gone so poorly, Kenny insisted the results will turn soon enough.
"A lot of people forget that we have a new coach and a lot of new players - it takes time," Kenny added. "If you compare the first matchday to today, we're a completely different team. How we work, play, communicate, spend time with each other - that has grown a lot. The results will come."
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