Everton boss Frank Lampard has been told by former Chelsea star Pat Nevin that defender Nathan Patterson is the “real deal” despite a nightmare start at Goodison Park.
The 20-year-old right-back arrived at the Toffees back in January, just weeks before Lampard succeeded Rafael Benitez as Everton ’s manager, leaving Rangers to sign a five and a half-year contract. That move was for an initial £5.5million, but could rise to as high as £11m in add-ons.
However, Patterson has played just once for the Toffees during a narrow FA Cup win over National League side Boreham Wood, a game where he was taken off at half-time in a 2-0 victory. The young full-back missed the final portion of last season with an ankle injury sustained in training that required surgery.
Despite Everton fans not seeing a lot of Patterson so far, Nevin, whose playing career included over 100 league appearances for Chelsea and Rangers, as well as 28 international caps for Scotland, believes that once Patterson is injury free and up to speed, he will thrive on Merseyside.
“I think it was injury above everything,” Nevin told BoyleSports when asked about Patterson’s limited chances. “He had a niggle when he came down there and then he got a longer-term one after that. So that was the thing that held him back. Sometimes it's hard to come back from an injury into a struggling team.
“The manager is trying a million different things. I was at the game where he played Boreham Wood and that was Nathan's start or his restart after his injuries. And it went really badly, not for him but the team was having a stinker, I was calling it on the radio, Frank needed to change the system. Then he did and the guy who had to go was Nathan.
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“But Everton fans shouldn't worry about it, Nathan's the real deal. It's not about anything other than he had an injury, that happens sometimes. The team was struggling, I would say to Everton fans, that's not one to worry about. [Seamus] Coleman was phenomenal in that position for a long time, but it's coming to that time where he will need replacing and they have made a really good decision in signing Nathan.”
There have been conflicting reports regarding the fee Everton have paid for Patterson, with some suggesting that the deal could eventually be worth as much as £16m.
Nevin believes that once Patterson is a regular for Everton, their fans will soon see why he was a worthy investment that could prove very lucrative for Lampard’s side in years to come.
“If you look at how much other players in that position cost, the likes of [Kieran] Tierney, [Andrew] Robertson you think 16 million, it is quite a lot, but that's the going rate for top fullbacks these days,” Nevin added. “I think you'll look back in 5/6 years and think '16 million, really?!' I had a similar discussion with people when [Virgil] Van Dijk went down from Celtic to Southampton and people were saying that's a lot of money.
“I'm going, 'is it hell a lot of money' that guy's absolutely brilliant. I'm not saying he will be quite as good as that but you look at the quality of players that are playing in full-back positions, and their importance to the team.
“Look at Liverpool, Trent [Alexander-Arnold] and Robertson on either side, look at the number of goals they create. Chelsea are the same with [Ben] Chilwell and [Reece] James. These positions are vital in the modern game. It's an important scoring position now. And Nathan is one, that's his style.”
