Everton let Matty Kennedy go before he even made a first-team appearance in the Premier League – now he’s shining in Scotland with Aberdeen.
Matty Kennedy insists he has no regrets about his three-year spell at Everton, hailing the Toffees for turning him into the influential winger he is today in quotes reported by Aberdeen’s official website.
The Merseyside giants have one of the most prosperous academies in English football these days. David Unsworth has led Everton’s U23s to the Premier League 2 title in two of the last three seasons while Tom Davies, Jonjoe Kenny and Mason Holgate have forced their way into the first-team picture.
Unfortunately for Kennedy, however, he was never handed the chance to make a name for himself at Goodison Park. The former Scotland U21 international didn’t even make a single appearance for the senior side before leaving Everton for Cardiff City.
Now back in Scotland with Aberdeen, Kennedy is enjoying arguably the best season of his career. And he has paid tribute to the role Unsworth, Alan Stubbs and co have played in his development.
“I think it helped me going down there, it kept my two feet very firmly on the ground. It kept me focused, they don’t let being a footballer go to your head, which is sadly what happens to a lot of young players. There are players who were better than me that are no longer in the game,” Kennedy says.
“I’ve got nothing but praise for their academy. I don’t think you could have a better youth set up. My coaches were David Unsworth, Alan Stubbs and David Weir, all pretty good players!
“They were strict on and off the park. I remember me and a few of the boys at the digs were messing about one night, just at the dinner table, and the landlady was not happy.
“We had a game the next day, so Alan Stubbs dropped us all! That is how strict it was. Little things like that make you grow up a bit quicker but it was just their way of looking after you and trying to make you a better person.”
Kennedy has produced six goals and eight assists for Aberdeen this season, establishing himself as one of the most influential attackers north of the border alongside another ex-Everton youngster in Sam Cosgrove (below).
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