Everton midfielder Tom Davies could be in for a make or break season under Marco Silva, having been given the boss’ backing last term but without turning in the level of performances needed to win over the entire Goodison Park faithful.
Where exactly the Blues product fits into the Portuguese’s plans has proven to be a cause for debate on Reddit recently, with some of the Toffees fanbase discussing if the homegrown talent has displayed enough to suggest he has a long-term future on Merseyside.
Silva showed last season that he is convinced there is talent to unlock in Davies, having stated throughout the campaign that the U21 England international will be an important player for him.
The club also locked Davies down to a long-term contract in April that ties the Liverpool-born midfielder to Everton until the summer of 2023, while Silva also handed him the captain’s armband on several occasions.
Davies was not a frequent figure under Silva, though, as he played half as many minutes under the boss than he had under Ronald Koeman and Sam Allardyce the season before.
Even his breakthrough into regular first-team football in the 2016/17 season returned a higher number of minutes on the field than last term, with Davies also failing to register a top-flight goal or assist for the first time in his career in ‘18/19.
Idrissa Gana Gueye’s departure for Paris Saint-Germain will not help Davies’ chances of earning a greater share of the action next season, as the club are looking for further midfield reinforcements having already brought Fabian Delph to the club and completed the permanent purchase of Andre Gomes.
Morgan Schneiderlin, James McCarthy and Mo Besic face uncertain futures, however, but Davies will need to impress when the new campaign commences if he is to avoid facing a similar fate in 2020.
Clearly from some of the views shared on Reddit, there are Blues fans unconvinced in Davies making the grade at Everton in a way that will see the club move up the table. Others are willing to give the 21-year-old more time to mature, but how much longer he is given remains to be seen.
Here’s what these Toffees supporters have shared…
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