Joao Virginia in loan disaster as Everton man hammered for ‘too many mistakes’

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In the end, Joao Virginia really didn’t give Cambuur coach Sjors Ultee much of a choice. 

Big things were expected of the on-loan Everton goalkeeper when he arrived in the Eredivisie last summer but, not for the first time, a short-lived spell away from Goodison Park looks destined for a rather unfulfilling conclusion.

Virginia’s stint between the sticks at Reading was brought to a premature conclusion following some high-profile errors during the 2019/20 season. At Sporting Lisbon, meanwhile, the 23-year-old managed a grand total of one league appearance. 

Still, this latest setback feels even more damaging.  

Everton goalkeeper Joao Viriginia is struggling in the Eredivisie

“Joao is a good ‘keeper with excellent reflexes. We really see the potential for the longer term,” Ultee tells NOS; explaning his decision to drop Virginia in favour of one-time Sunderland benchwarmer Robbin Ruiter. 

“But he has made too many of the same kinds of mistakes in recent weeks, which made the team restless.

“That is why we are now taking a decision and opting for Robbin. He is an experienced, calm and stable goalkeeper. Although, of course, that gives no guarantees.”

Cambuur’s relegation-threatened backline, with Virginia behind them, looked anything but ‘calm and stable’ in recent months. Virginia conceded 1.6 Eredivisie goals per game on average. And it would be an understatement to say that a few of those fell into the ‘avoidable’ category.  

Virginia is still young, relatively speaking anyway. But, at the age of 23, the hope was that he’d iron out the rather glaring kinks in his game while playing regular first-team football for the very first time, even at a limited Cambuur outfit.  

But what is it they say about ‘best laid plans’?

“(Ultee’s decision is) is not very surprising,” reporter Andor Faber writes on Twitter; the Toffees prospect gifting Sparta Rotterdam a goal with an abysmally misplaced pass during Cambuur’s recent 3-0 home defeat. 

With Asmir Begovic’s contract expiring, there may soon be a place opening up for the ‘number two’ role at Goodison Park. But Virginia is not exactly doing his hopes of filling it much good.