Andy Townsend was speaking about the defender in a week he made his 16th international appearance
Jake O'Brien celebrates scoring Everton's second goal during the Premier League match against Manchester City. Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Jake O'Brien celebrates scoring Everton's second goal during the Premier League match against Manchester City. Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
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Jake O’Brien has been told Everton remains the “perfect club” for him despite his struggle to play in his strongest position.
The centre back has excelled when David Moyes has placed him in the middle of the Blues defence but has spent much of the past 18 months at right back, where the manager values his pace and one-on-one defending in a squad that has lacked a trusted full back on that side for several years.
Addressing the long-standing right back problem is a priority this summer and, if resolved, it could allow the 25-year-old greater opportunities in his strongest position. For former Republic of Ireland international Andy Townsend, Everton is the right place for him to grow for club and country.
Reflecting on O’Brien’s emergence, Townsend said: “I think Jake O’Brien’s at the perfect club for him at this stage of his career, I like Jake. Whether or not he's a right-back, it's difficult for him sometimes as such a big man playing in those sorts of positions when he's got Jeremy Doku running at him - like he did recently. It isn't easy, but I like him because he's a competitor. Physically, he's a proper unit in both boxes and I think Everton is absolutely the right size club for someone like Jake O'Brien at this stage of his career.”
For Townsend, the key factor for O’Brien to consider when assessing his happiness is the amount of time he is getting on the pitch. There have been no problems on that front. Having not played in the Premier League in the first six months of his Blues career under Sean Dyche, Moyes quickly turned to O’Brien as his best answer to the right back conundrum posed by the persistent injuries suffered by Nathan Patterson and Seamus Coleman.
The former Lyon defender adapted well and, in the season just completed, missed only one match. That followed his red card against Bournemouth in February.
Townsend, who was speaking about O’Brien to Bet Victor, said: “Why leave a club where you're playing more often than not and go somewhere to sit and watch just because it's potentially a so-called better or bigger club? I think Everton's perfect for him.
“Jake is playing consistently for Everton, and they are a consistent team. They were terrific when they had a go at [Manchester] City in the last half-hour. I think Everton is absolutely the perfect club for him right now.”
The opportunities presented to him at Everton will only help Ireland, Townsend added, particularly given another international stalwart, club captain Seamus Coleman, will leave the Blues this summer. O'Brien earned his 16th cap as he played the full 90 minutes in a friendly against Qatar on Thursday.
He said: “The fact that he is playing for David Moyes is good for Ireland, too. In the last decade, we've not always had enough players playing top-flight Premier League football in the Irish team. Seamus Coleman is at the back end of it now, and not having enough boys playing at that level has had an effect on our standing and the results that we've got.”
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