Duffy Must Go on Loan

Shane Duffy in action against BATE Borisov in the Europa League

Following the recent revelation that David Moyes is keen to send promising defender Shane Duffy on loan, it is the opinion of this blog that it must transpire sooner, rather than later.

Having fully recovered from the life-threatening injury he suffered in May with the Irish senior team, 18 year old Shane Duffy has made tremendous strides. He is once again captaining Alan Stubbs' Everton reserve team and he played an influential role in Ireland's recent U19 UEFA qualifying campaign. Remarkably, he was even included on the first-team bench for the recent game against Tottenham Hotspur, with Moyes suggesting that he could have come on to neutralise the threat posed by Peter Crouch.

Such progress is undeniably testament to Duffy's strength of character. Indeed, in the aftermath of the injury, doctors were predicting that it would be Christmas before the towering defender would play again, but Duffy amazingly defied the odds, playing his first full game in a pre-season friendly against Sligo Rovers on August 8 - just thirteen weeks after he had undergone emergency surgery in the Mater Hospital.

It is now November and since making his return in August, Duffy has played a mere six reserve games, along with three international games with Paul Doolin's Ireland U19 team. The return to fitness of the majority of Everton's first team, along with the solid partnership formed by Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin, means that Duffy's chances of first team action are becoming increasingly limited and for a promising young player like Duffy, time on the pitch is absolutely crucial to the development of his game.

When David Moyes made the decision to let his former captain Joseph Yobo go on loan to Fenerbahçe at the beginning of the season, it seemed as though Duffy had moved up in the ranks. Furthermore, it emerged that Moyes had rejected a bid from League Two outfit Northampton Town to take Duffy on loan, giving the distinct impression that he wanted to keep Duffy around as immediate back-up. However, now that Moyes has publicly announced his desire to let his young star gain some valuable experience, clubs will be lining up to take the Irishman. Indeed, considering that Moyes actually rejected an offer from Northampton, it seems that the 'right club', must be one of a higher standard, perhaps Championship or League One level.

Everton reserves will travel to London on Monday (8th November) to face off against Arsenal reserves. The game is certain to be a stern test for Duffy and it provides scouts with a perfect opportunity to watch the centre-half in action against relatively tough opposition.