Former Everton captain Kevin Ratcliffe has backed summer signing Kurt Zouma to emulate club great Sylvain Distin following his arrival.
The centre-back completed a move from Stamford Bridge late on in the transfer window in a temporary switch, and Ratcliffe can see similarities with the ex-Toffees’player, despite the fact that he has only started two games under Marco Silva.
The team were left exposed in central defence following injury and suspension, which meant that the 6ft 2in [Transfermarkt] ace had to fill in for the two matches against Rotherham in the Carabao Cup, and Huddersfield in the Premier League last weekend.
“He certainly looks like the Sylvain Distin kind of figure, who I thought was brilliant for the club. I thought Distin was a tremendous asset for us, and if he did have a bad game he made sure the next one wasn’t,” Ratcliffe told the Liverpool Echo.
“His performance levels were really consistent and if Zouma’s anything like that then it’ll be great. He’s got the same kind of stature and he’s definitely no slouch – you’re definitely thinking he’s already come in and improved the side.”
OPINION
Not much has been seen of Kurt Zouma for Everton, but the fact that he is being backed by one of the club’s former captains after just two matches shows what an immediate impact he is making on the side. This will be music to Zouma’s ears, as he will undoubtedly be seeking a first team place on a regular basis from now on. He is a quality signing and he will improve Everton’s defence considerably over the course of the season, and fingers crossed that he maintain this type of form for the rest of his loan spell. Zouma has been compared to Distin by Ratcliffe, and this is a very high compliment – Distin was at the club for six years and established himself as a firm fan favourite with his consistent displays. Ratcliffe is essentially saying that Zouma has the potential to replicate this – and based on the way he has performed so far, it would not be surprising.