Everton’s Premier League misfit Jonjoe Kenny has admitted that he would have liked to stay at Schalke while describing his move to Celtic as ‘the toughest moment of my career’ in conversation with Transfermarkt.
Oh for it to be 2019 again.
Two years ago, Kenny was just starting to blossom over in Germany, taking to life in the Bundesliga like the proverbial duck to water. Schalke, meanwhile, were still very much a top flight club.
They’re not anymore.
Relegated for the first time in nearly six decades last season – in largely shambolic circumstances no less – the days of Schalke taking on the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid feel like lightyears ago now.
Things are not exactly going swimmingly for Kenny either.
That super spell in Gelsenkirchen was supposed to be the making of Everton’s England U21 international.
Since returning to Everton, however, he’s made just the one Premier League start, relegated to the fringes by both Carlo Ancelotti and Rafa Benitez despite Seamus Coleman’s rather indifferent form.
Does Jonjoe Kenny have a future at Everton?
“It was actually a tough moment for me,” Kenny recalls. “Within one season, I developed a very high level of appreciation for the club and for the Bundesliga in general.
“I just wanted to keep playing and performing. I would have liked to stay at Schalke, but a lot has changed since I left.”
You can say that again.
Kenny did spend a brief spell on loan at Celtic in the second half of last term but it’s fair to say he didn’t catch the Scottish Premiership giants at a particularly good time.
Celtic missed out on the league title for the first time in nine years and Neil Lennon, the manager who brought him north of the border, was sacked just 23 days after Kenny arrived.
“This was really the toughest moment of my career so far,” Kenny adds. “I left Schalke on a high and felt ready to play for Everton.
“But unfortunately it didn’t turn out that way and it wasn’t easy for me to deal with.
“I went to Celtic, another club with a great history, success and an absolute winner mentality. The Old Firm derbies were difficult because they took place without fans.
“But this experience was also good for my development, I think.”
Everton are hoping to sign a new right-back in January, with Calvin Ramsay and Kieran Trippier among those linked.
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