Coventry City are closing in on a loan move for Everton prodigy Antony Evans, according to the Sun on Sunday (January 6th 2018, p.63).
The 20-year-old midfielder has been a regular for David Unsworth’s U23 squad so far this season, and has notched three goals in nine Premier League 2 appearances.
The England youth international spent the second half of the 2016/17 season on loan at League Two Morecambe, scoring twice during his spell with the Shrimps.
Evans is highly thought of at Goodison Park and was handed a contract extension that runs until 2020 earlier in the year.
Development squad coach Unsworth has also heaped praised on his captain in the past.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo in March, he said: “He’s progressing really nicely and he’s certainly been one of our best players, if not the best player and that warrants him getting the captain’s armband.”
Good move for Everton?
Evans is on the cusp of first team football, and the decision to send him out on loan at this stage would be a very good one. The young midfielder has impressed throughout his youth career but still has a lot to learn, and a loan spell in League One would be a steep learning curve that could bring him on leaps and bounds. The Toffees will be wary of dropping him straight into the Premier League without some more senior minutes under his belt, and there would few opportunities that would be as beneficial as an extended run in decent third tier side.
This is Futbol rating: 8/10
Likely to happen?
Everton have loaned Evans out before, and unless they see a sudden promotion to the first team on the horizon, chances are they will do again. Presumably Coventry will not be the only side interested in acquiring his services, and there’s no guarantee that he will end up in the Midlands, but it would be a surprise if he wasn’t loaned out somewhere. Reserve team football is good for fitness levels, but can’t replicate the intensity of first team action, and the Toffees will be keen to get one of their hottest prospects in that scenario as quickly as they can.
This is Futbol rating: 8/10