Is Connolly the loanee staking best claim for bright Everton future?

Follow us on Google Discover

Callum Connolly is enjoying a very impressive loan spell away from Everton.

With Everton proving to be a lot more underwhelming this season than many would have imagined, it appears that the Toffees hierarchy will have some big decisions to make on a number of players in the summer.

It seems highly possible that many will move on and that some will be expected to step up, including some of those who currently find themselves out on loan.

The Toffees have a large group of players currently plying their trade elsewhere. And while for some, their loan exits may have felt like a sign that they are gradually heading for the Goodison Park exit, others will have known that their loan moves presented the perfect platform to send a message to Sam Allardyce.

And while others may have enjoyed more successful loans, it could certainly be argued that it is Callum Connolly who has probably staked the strongest claim to be considered for first-team chances next season.

The 20-year-old has featured regularly for Ipswich Town this season and has been hugely impressive for the Tractor Boys, with three goals in the league so far.

The youngster perhaps deserves to be considered the most likely loanee to make an impact next year because he is proving extremely influential in the middle of the park, but is also more than capable of playing at full-back.

Full-back has been a problematic position for the Toffees this year, and the form of several of their central midfielders has got to be a concern for Big Sam, so Connolly’s development at Portman Road has to be taken into account when Allardyce considers which youngsters to promote in the future.

The likes of Kieran Dowell, Muhamed Besic and Ademola Lookman may have grabbed more headlines out on loan, but with their form dipping off or with Allardyce showing a reluctance to give them a chance, perhaps it would not be out of the question to suggest that Connolly’s spell in the Championship has given him the right to expect to be involved with the Everton first-team next season.