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Post by rugbytoffee on Nov 16, 2019 11:14:46 GMT
Everton defender Jonjoe Kenny insists he is not thinking about his future at this moment in time and just taking things’ game by game’.
The defender joined Schalke on a season-long loan deal this summer after struggling to oust Seamus Coleman in Everton’s first-team.
He’s made a big impression in his short time in Germany so far, impressing fans and pundits alike as he’s established himself as first-choice in the right-back slot.
The Bundesliga side are keen to keep hold of him long-term, although his loan deal does not include a purchase option.
Everton will be the ones to decide his fate, with them likely to wait until the end of the season and whether they decide to turn Djibril Sidibé’s loan deal into a permanent move.
Until that point, Kenny is solely focused on continuing to impress at Schalke, although he was keen to express his gratitude to Everton.
“Everton is my childhood club, and I’m very grateful to all the people there,” he told RUHR 24.
“I’ve been playing there since I was a little boy and I love the club, but right now I’m playing for Schalke 04, and I have a job to do here.
“We’ll see what happens in the near future, right now I’m just thinking game by game.
“For my personal development, it has been a huge opportunity to come here and even off the field, I learn a lot about myself and grow as a person.”
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Post by rugbytoffee on Nov 22, 2019 21:13:41 GMT
Marco Silva admits he is encouraged by Jonjoe Kenny’s loan spell at Schalke. The Kirkdale-born defender, 22, agreed to a season-long stint away from Everton in order to pursue a regular run of first-team football with the Bundesliga outfit.
In first four months at the Veltins Arena, Kenny has already equalled last term’s 13 appearances in all competitions for the Blues while also opening his account.
Silva is already reaping the benefits of experience gained by Mason Holgate following his own brief spell away from Goodison Park earlier this year. And the Everton manager believes the strides that Kenny is making with David Wagner’s side in the German top flight will stand him in similarly good stead.
“We took the decision we did last summer because we believe in him,” said Silva.
“In the last two seasons Jonjoe didn’t play [more than] 40 games for Everton but played a very good number. Now he’s playing often week in and week out.
“In the future, we are here to talk again [with Jonjoe] to take the best decisions for us and him as well.” He added: “We felt was a good opportunity for him overall.
“It’s a very strong competition where he is playing, in a high level, and a different environment as well.
“Everything is important, what he’s feeling now – not just on the pitch, off it as well. For sure we will see Jonjoe growing as a player and as a man.
“I’m really happy to see him playing and playing well.”
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Post by rugbytoffee on Dec 13, 2019 19:40:17 GMT
By all accounts Jonjoe Kenny has been an unmitigated success out on loan at Schalke 04 this season. The Under-20 World Cup winner has shone under David Warner and his side are right in the midst of a wide-open Bundesliga with the defending champions Bayern Munich appearing quite fallible this season.
Schalke sit in fourth place six points behind leader Borussia Mönchengladbach and in an interview with AFP (via France24) Kenny thinks the hard work they’re putting in has a lot to do with how well they’re doing.
“I’m quicker, stronger and fitter. It’s more intense, we do double days on Tuesdays - that only happens in pre-season in England.”
Kenny has started sixteen times this season for Schalke, including in all fourteen Bundesliga games after mustering 23 starts in the 2017-18 Europa League season and then 11 starts in the 2018-19 season at Everton before that. He started his spell in fire winning the league’s rookie player of the month for August before settling in. The 22-year-old has been very complimentary of the effect Wagner has had on his game.
”It’s gone perfect, but it’s all down to the coach for me - he had the confidence to play me straight away.
“People (in England) don’t realise how much of a good a league it is. I was happy playing in England, then an opportunity like Schalke came along.
”It’s a chance to become your own man on and off the pitch. I came here not knowing what was round the corner and it was something I thrived on.”
A number of British players have successfully made the switch to German football, with Jadon Sancho leading the way at Borussia Dortmund, while Kenny’s former teammate Ademola Lookman is at RB Leipzig and his new teammate Rabbi Matondo formerly of Manchester City.
Did he struggle with the language barrier when he came over?
“A lot of the lads make it easy by speaking English.
”When the coach is speaking, you know a little bit more each time and can pick up what he is saying, but obviously it’s a good skill to have outside of football.” The youngster is definitely looking forward to the upcoming month-long winter break that’ll allow him to come back home to Merseyside, something he’s never experienced before with Everton.
“It’s more the mental side, it gives you a little bit more energy knowing that there is a break coming up.”
Schalke’s schedule looks a little bit like Everton’s right now - they play Eintracht Frankfurt (11th) on Sunday, then VFB Wolfsburg (9th) and Freiburg (5th) to close out 2019, and then after the break they take on leaders Gladbach then Bayern (6th).
“We know it’ll be tough against Frankfurt (this Sunday) and have to prove how good we are by getting the win.
”Everyone knows the quality Bayern Munich has and how good they have been for so long by dominating the Bundesliga, but when they lose, it opens up the gate for everyone else.”
Kenny’s progress certainly makes things interesting for Everton next season with on-loan Djibril Sidibe already outperforming Seamus Coleman. Both Kenny and Coleman have their Everton contracts expiring at the end of the 2012-22 season but the Republic of Ireland captain will be 32 next season and is starting to show the ravages of time with minor injuries. Sidibe meanwhile is 27 and probably as close to his physical peak as he will be, and having him and Kenny tussling for a starting spot is not a bad situation for the Blues to be in going forward.
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Post by rugbytoffee on Jan 14, 2020 15:59:06 GMT
Everton loanee Jonjoe Kenny has been speaking about his loan spell at Schalke - praising manager David Wagner in the process.
The ex-Huddersfield Town boss, who is good friends with Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp , has made Kenny his first-choice right-back this season, with the Liverpool-born player, now 22, making 17 Bundesliga appearances to date.
In that time he has scored once and assisted twice, with Schalke winning eight of their games and losing just three.
He told German site Kicker: "It was extremely good for me to come here. "[Wagner] believed in me even though I hadn't played that many games before. It totally helped me.
"I want to look from game to game. The only important thing is to concentrate on the task ahead." Wagner has previously spoken about how well Kenny has been performing .
He said in November: "He has done great. He is, for sure, one of the most interesting right backs in the Bundesliga at the minute.
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Post by evertonfan1968 on Jan 15, 2020 15:29:16 GMT
They'll make an offer for him and we'll sell.
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