Everton winger Arnaut Danjuma has been taking private jet flights to training from Manchester to Liverpool. The main issue with this is that the flight time from Manchester to Liverpool is just eight minutes. With varying times for traffic, it is about a one-hour drive between the two cities in England. Even if that is what Everton boss Sean Dyche said he would do, he jokingly said it was a problem of the modern game.
“Well, I had a word with him,” Dyche said before Everton’s recent game against Aston Villa. “I said it seems excessive to go from Manchester Airport to Liverpool Airport for training. But you know, these modern players… Personally, I would use a car but that’s the modern players. You know, they need to look after themselves and get their rest.”
Unnecessary flights are not new to the Premier League, nor are they exclusive to Everton and Arnaut Danjuma. On separate occasions, Arsenal took a very brief flight to Norwich when it would play at Carrow Road. From north London to Norwich, Arsenal took 14-minute flights. That drew criticism from anti-aviation groups that voiced their frustrations with the environmental impact flights so short can have for their time benefits.
Other critics labeled Danjuma as the worst emission spewer in the modern soccer world. However, the joking against Danjuma did not stop there. Some said Danjuma needs to travel to the Manchester airport to fly to a different club. Clearly, Danjuma has not made the best impression at Goodison Park.
Perhaps Danjuma needs more private flights to Everton training
The 26-year-old is on loan at Everton from Villarreal. His recent stint in the Premier League, League Cup and FA Cup has not been overly fruitful. Danjuma has been in the matchday squad for each of Everton’s 21 Premier League games. However, he has only started four of those games. Moreover, he has made nine substitute appearances. That means he has been an unused substitute in eight Premier League games.
Danjuma was an unused substitute during Everton’s four-game win streak. Interestingly, Everton has not lost when Danjuma remains an unused substitute. The club has 22 points in those eight games. As a left winger, Danjuma has not made an impact on the field. Dyche has preferred Dwight McNeil in recent games to start on the left side.
Upcoming Everton schedule
The Toffees have a brutal schedule of games that Danjuma may need to play a key role in. Over its next eight games, Everton will have contests against Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton, and West Ham United. With Everton a point above the relegation zone, results in those games will be crucial for the club’s safety.
Also, Everton has more penalties pending because of violations of the profitability and sustainability regulations in the Premier League. A points deduction in that ruling could prove immeasurably costly to Everton’s status in the English top flight. Danjuma has not featured regularly for Everton in its successful games, it will be up to Dyche to make the call in crucial games.
PHOTOS: IMAGO
