Davy Klaassen joined Everton in the summer of 2017.
Everton manager Sam Allardyce recently threw a challenge to Davy Klaassen, telling The Telegraph: “Nobody can be knocked back more than Davy Klaassen from what he was supposed to achieve but hasn’t and what he had achieved at Ajax.
“But what will next season bring? Will he be ready to fight and ready to say look here this is the sort of player I really am? Can he show that? That would be nice if he and a lot of the players could do that.”
It is hard to disagree with Allardyce’s analysis of Klaassen’s performance so far this season, as the Dutchman has failed to make any kind of impact at Goodison Park.
Signed from Ajax in the summer of 2017 for a transfer fee reported by BBC Sport to be worth £23.6 million, the 25-year-old attacking midfielder has played only 190 minutes of Premier League football so far this season, according to WhoScored.
The Netherlands international turned out for the Everton Under-23 side this week, and the 25-year-old now has to step up and build on from that.
It is hard to see Klaassen playing any kind of important role in Allardyce’s team in the remaining weeks this campaign, but the Dutchman has to step up next season.
There is no doubt that the former Ajax star is a very talented footballer, but it is now up to him to prove his critics wrong and establish himself in the Everton starting lineup during the 2018-19 campaign.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
