Everton sent Jonjoe Kenny on loan to Bundesliga powerhouses Schalke in the summer but can he follow in Phillip Lahm’s footsteps?
Everton’s Schalke loanee Jonjoe Kenny is using his spell in the Bundesliga to get just that little bit closer to his idol – the Bayern Munich legend Phillip Lahm, speaking to the league’s official website.
After Ademola Lookman and Jadon Sancho, Kenny is the latest young Englishman to flourish across the channel in Germany.
The 22-year-old right-back gave away a penalty in a recent 3-0 home defeat to Bayern Munich but bounced back in style to score his first senior goal against Hertha Berlin before the international break while producing an all-action performance that Schalke teammate Guido Bergstaller described as ‘outstanding’, speaking to 90Min.
But it goes without saying that Kenny has a long way to go before he can emulate one of the greatest full-backs ever to play the game.
“He was an all-rounder, could play left, right, in the middle,” said Kenny of Lahm when asked to name his footballing idol. “For me, he was always outstanding and the best right-back.”
Lahm retired in the summer of 2017 after winning eight Bundesliga titles, six DFB Pokals and one Champions League with Bayern. Did we mention he also lifted the 2014 World Cup as the captain of the German national team?
But, by Kenny’s age, Lahm was only starting to establish himself at the top level after a two-year loan spell at Stuttgart. There is certainly time on Kenny’s side but, first and foremost, he needs to continue his progression at Schalke before he can think about forcing Seamus Coleman out of Everton’s starting XI.
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