Nikola Vlasic has become somewhat of a forgotten man at Everton.
The 20-year-old has managed just 138 minutes of Premier League football in 2018, spread across three appearances against Manchester United, West Bromwich Albion and Swansea, coming on for three minutes against the Swans last time out.
An £8million signing in the summer, Vlasic remains behind the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Yannick Bolasie and Theo Walcott in the pecking order under former England boss Allardyce.
But the Toffees boss has given the Croatian hope of senior football at Goodison Park, if he begins to show more consistency on the training ground.
“Nikola is young and came from abroad and I do not think he envisaged how tough this Premier League would be – nobody does until they get here,” said Allardyce.
“He has tried his very best. When he plays… it is about consistency. We see the ability. If that ability comes to fruition more often and on a more regular basis he will be pushing very hard for a place in the first team.”
In total, Vlasic has made 17 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals against Apollon Limassol in the Europa League, with one goal coming both home and away.
He has a contract until the summer of 2022 on Merseyside, but the summer transfer window could be an interesting one for the youngster as the Toffees could look to loan him out in order to help him gain first-team football.
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