Everton boss Brian Sorensen has revealed he would be keen to extend Aggie Beever-Jones’ stay at the club beyond the end of this season.
The Chelsea striker arrived at Walton Hall Park on a season-long loan last summer and has since gone on to make 20 appearances for the Blues in all competitions, scoring three goals. Beever-Jones’ campaign was brought to a premature close during Everton’s Women’s Super League defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday, with the 19-year-old shown a straight red card for a lunging challenge on Lia Walti.
The young forward released a heartfelt statement of apology shortly after the final whistle and, while she will not feature in either of the Blues final two games of the campaign, Sorensen has left the door open for a possible Everton return next term.
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“She was of course really devastated after the game and obviously put that message out [on social media]," the Dane said on Friday.
"We spoke to her yesterday and she’s been better - it’s not fun for a young player - but the good news is it seems like not too bad an injury [for Lia Walti] so hopefully she gets back really quickly.
“Aggie’s been great. She’s young, she’s full of energy and had some really good performances for us. She’s eager to learn and work and has a big, big future ahead of her and it’s been a pleasure having her.
“I would [like to have her back next season]. We’ve said that to Chelsea so we’ll see. There’s nothing final been decided."
The Everton boss is, however, less hopeful of re-enlisting the services of Manchester City forward Jess Park next term. The 21-year-old has been a standout performer for the Blues this season and was handed her senior England debut in November.
However, Park has already returned to her parent club after picking up a shoulder injury that will keep her out for the remainder of the campaign and Sorensen has conceded it’s likely she will feature prominently in City’s plans next season.
“I think Jess went into the England team and showcased herself really well,” he said. “I think [Manchester City] have big plans for her so hopefully she will do the same for them as she did for us this year. So I think that [her returning to Everton is] not as likely.”
It’s been a challenging couple of weeks for Everton, who have registered back-to-back Women’s Super League defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal. The Blues will get the chance to return to winning ways when they host ninth-placed Brighton in their final home game of the season at Walton Hall Park on Sunday.
Victory over the Seagulls would guarantee Everton a top-six finish - something that Sorensen would regard as a sign of real progress in his first season at the club.
“That’s where we want to be,” he said. “ I don’t look so much at the table. I look at the performance and what we need to do better to get closer to the top teams.
“We know it’s a process that will take time. There’s been really good games, there have been games where we’ve not been happy with the performance but that’s football and that’s part of growing at learning.
“We know what we want to do and we will hopefully be more consistent and get better.”
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