Everton should be promoting title-winning youngster and moving 36-year-old on

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Everton captain Phil Jagielka is in the dark over his future.

The Englishman recently hinted that his representative met with club officials to discuss what will happen, but an outcome has not yet been reached (Liverpool Echo).

As things currently stand, Jagielka is out of contract this summer and would be free to leave the club after a a 12-year stint.

Jagielka signed for the Toffees back in 2007 from Sheffield United, and has been a brilliant servant for the club – making 383 appearances in total so far.

But perhaps the time is right for the veteran to step aside and make way for a promising player who has just won the U23 Premier League title.

TBR’s view

Everton should be thanking Jagielka for his service but refraining from offering him a new deal.

The player doesn’t fit Marcel Brands’ policy of wanting a younger squad, and so the club need to get tough.

Youngster Lewis Gibson, signed from Newcastle United in 2017, is a promising ball-playing defender who should be getting a chance in the first-team in 2019/2020.

He has been developing for the last two years and a loan move has been talked about, but the Englishman should be shown trust by Marco Silva, who is not guaranteed to keep loan star Kurt Zouma beyond the summer.