Kevin Kilbane believes that Everton manager Ronald Koeman should be playing Tom Davies more.
The 19-year-old midfielder is yet to cement his position in the Toffees side so far this season and has failed to complete 90 minutes in a Premier League match.
He is a product of the Merseyside club’s academy and made a first-team breakthrough last season.
However, Davies is yet to really kick on this campaign and has found himself behind Idrissa Gueye and Morgan Schneiderlin in the pecking order.
BBC pundit Kilbane insists that the England Under-21 international could be the perfect player to lift a struggling Everton team and feels he should get more of a look in.
“Ross Barkley and Aaron Lennon are injured, so Tom Davies is probably the player of that ilk who I would like to see get a bit more game-time,” Kilbane wrote in his column for BBC Sport.
“Davies always looks to drive forward, with his passing or his runs and he could bring a bit of energy to a team that, by and large, has been quite lifeless.”
Everton’s miserable start to the campaign continued on Sunday as a late Wayne Rooney penalty salvaged a 1-1 draw away to Brighton.
They now have just eight points from their opening eight league games and will now turn their attention to the Europa League.
OPINION
Everton fans have been crying out for Davies to get more of a chance this season and it’s astonishing that he has not got an extended run in the side. The Toffees are looking vulnerable in the middle of the park and the teenage central midfielder deserves a starting XI role. He would bring instant aggression and energy to an Everton team that are clearly lacking confidence, while he would leave everything out on the pitch. Davies is also a technically gifted player that has a bright future in the game and could be the type of player to dig Koeman out of the current mess.