Former Rangers star Michael Ball believes that Everton target Nathan Patterson is unlikely to force his way into the club’s first-team in the near future because of James Tavernier’s presence in the starting XI.
Patterson has been linked with a potential move to Goodison Park for a fee of around £10m.
He has struggled for minutes at the Scottish club and has made a total of 18 appearances for Steven Gerrard’s side, scoring twice, and has yet to play in the Premiership this term.
Do you think Patterson is good enough to replace Tavernier?
Yes
No
Patterson is behind Tavernier in the pecking order, with the Rangers skipper an undisputed first-choice starter in the squad.
The right-back has already made nine appearances in all competitions this season, scoring against St Johnstone, and also laying on four assists.
Tavernier has made a total of 298 appearances for Rangers, scoring 66 goals and laying on 94 assists, and Ball believes Patterson’s route to the first-team is blocked.
He said: “I don’t think Rangers really want to lose him and they do think he is the long-term replacement for Tavernier. That’s what he’s being bred for, but unfortunately for Nathan, Tavernier is a massive, key player for Steven Gerrard.
“He’s the captain, he takes the penalties, he takes the free-kicks so he’s a very, very important player and he has to wait for that opportunity for himself to get more game time. If he comes to Everton, will he get that game time?”