Koeman has warned that the centre-back needs to improve after his recent poor form.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman has sent a stark warning to his captain Phil Jagielka ahead of the clash with Southampton on Sunday, stressing that the experienced centre-back has to improve his form, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Jagielka’s performances have dipped drastically in recent weeks, illustrated by the fact that he has already given away three penalties this season.
The 34-year-old has racked up nearly 350 appearances for the Toffees in a near-decade at the club, and has been wearing the armband permanently since 2013.
However, Everton have competition at centre-back, with the likes of Argentina international Ramiro Funes Mori waiting in the wings, and Koeman has warned that Jagielka will not be allowed to continue in the side if he does not fix up his game.
Koeman said, via the Mail: “He is experienced enough to deal with critics. But he needs to know that he’s a national team player and he needs to improve and be an important player with Ashley [Williams] as the two centre-backs.
“We have competition so he needs to give his standard, his level of performance like everybody in the team. Of course he was involved in three penalties, two against Manchester City and then one last weekend.
“I give him the support I give everybody. I think players need confidence.”
It would be a seminal moment for Jagielka if he is dropped. When fit he has been a regular for almost the entirety of his career on Merseyside, but he has been attracting criticism since being part of the notoriously leaky defence under Koeman’s predecessor Roberto Martinez.
It remains to be seen whether Koeman will keep faith with his skipper for this afternoon’s clash with Southampton.
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