Sam Allardyce lured Eliaquim Mangala to Everton in January.
Phil Jagielka will be wondering what is left of his Everton career after being left out of Sam Allardyce’s 18-man squad that earned a comfortable 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
The 35-year-old defender, who remains the Toffees club captain, failed to even earn a place on the bench as Oumar Niasse, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Tom Davies found the back of the net for the Merseyside giants.
The signing of Eliaquim Mangala has pushed Jagielka down the pecking order at Goodison Park, with Michael Keane, Ashley Williams and Mason Holgate all vying for a place in Allardyce’s starting line-up.
But it could get even worse for the former England international, as Argentine defender Ramiro Funes Mori is nearing a return to full fitness after a long-term knee injury that he first suffered back in March 2017.
It could make the former Sheffield United stopper sixth-choice centre-back at Everton, after he also missed the 5-1 loss to Arsenal. At 35, Jagielka has little time to waste trying to prove Allardyce he deserves another chance.
Instead, the veteran ace should be looking at his next career move in order to prolong his career in professional football by leaving Goodison Park this summer.
He has a contract at Everton until the summer of 2019, but he will surely be keeping an eye on the future ahead of this summer’s window as he continues to fall down the pecking order.
He has proven this season that he still boasts Premier league quality, and a move to one of the sides nearer the relegation zone may come to fruition at the end of the season if he does indeed believe he needs to leave.
In order to get the most out of his remaining years in professional football, he should.
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