Sam Allardyce has labelled Davy Klaassen’s Everton exile an ‘anomaly’.
Klaassen went three months between his most recent appearances for the Blues after coming on as a substitute in last month’s win over Brighton.
The former Ajax captain completed just six minutes in that game, compounding an already miserable debut season at Goodison Park.
But Allardyce insists that the pressure of delivering results, despite Everton’s top-flight status now secure, prevents him from calling up Klaassen for action.
He said: “We’re still playing Tom Davies at 19 and bringing Beni Baningime on at 19 years old, and we are without Gylfi Sigurdsson who can play there.
“Davy Klaassen is still an anomaly to me, as to will he or won’t he?
“If I had the opportunity to play him I would, but I haven’t because I’ve got to win.
“So I don’t have the luxury of saying ‘go on, give it a go lad!’ because if we lose it’s me that gets the stick, so if I haven’t got that luxury.
“If the opportunity comes along for anybody, be it through injury or suspension, hopefully he can show us what he’s got.”