Everton goalkeeper Joao Virginia has hinted that he might have to move away from Goodison Park in order to get the first team football he craves.
The Portuguese stopper has represented his country at every level of youth football but now 24, he's yet to make his senior debut. He moved to Everton from Arsenal in 2018 and has spent time out on loan with Reading, Sporting and Cambuur, before returning to Goodison this season as deputy to first choice Jordan Pickford.
And Virginia has impressed in the limited time he's been given, making three appearances in the FA Cup for Sean Dyche's side, but speaking to SAPO, via Sport Witness, he admitted he'll need to evaluate his plans in the summer as he bids to become an established number one.
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“I have been on loan in recent years, to have more minutes, more game experience and to be more prepared so that, if Everton eventually needs me, I will be ready and respond in the right way,” he said.
“This year they decided they wanted me to stay at the club. Staying, I already knew that, having England’s number 1 goalkeeper in the squad, I would be playing in the cups and waiting for something to happen, but the season is going well, in a way it is going as planned.
“I feel like I’m getting better every year, a better goalkeeper. I have been through different contexts, different leagues, different countries.
“I’ve already played in four different leagues, so I’m improving and, from now on, my goal is to play more and more and become a starting goalkeeper at a big club.
“For now, it’s just a matter of waiting and seeing what happens until the end of the
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