Marco Silva claims Everton youngster Lewis Gibson is not ready yet

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Everton manager Marco Silva has made it clear he doesn’t believe academy star Lewis Gibson is ready for the jump up yet to the first-team.

The 19-year-old defender has been involved with the senior group during pre-season fixtures this summer and hasn’t looked out of place.

He popped up with a goal in the defeat to Mainz and is a highly-rated defender tipped for a big future.

The centre-back impressed last season for the Toffees with the Under-23s side and has built up a solid reputation since joining from Newcastle United in 2017.

Silva has raised concern about the lack of options at his disposal in the centre-back area and claims he needs more, but the summer window closes on Thursday.

The Portuguese boss mentioned teenager Gibson, but it seems like he’s not in his first-team plans for the immediate future at Goodison Park.

“What is the priority is the central defender, when cannot go through a tough season with Mason [Holgate], Michael [Keane] and [Yerry] Mina – even if the boy [Lewis] Gibson is working with us, he’s not ready yet for this level,” Silva told the Liverpool Echo.

TBR’s View:

Gibson has certainly showed signs of his potential in pre-season and it’s a slight surprise that Silva wouldn’t want to promote him as a fourth-choice centre-back in his senior group.

The left-footed defender needs to react to Silva’s comments by demanding a loan exit, where he can start to experience senior football and develop his game.

He’s a commanding figure at the back that is comfortable in possession and would sure be an attractive option for a Championship side.