SEAMUS COLEMAN WILL be 27 in October, and could surely do with a new challenge in his career.
For the past five seasons, the Donegal native has been a relatively regular presence at the back for Everton.
At one stage, there were question marks over the defensive side of his game, but this concern appears to have lessened in recent times.
Under David Moyes, there appeared to be some reluctance on the Scot’s part to trust Coleman, at least initially, owing to his supposed defensive shortcomings. As a result, the Ireland international was often picked on the right side of midfield rather than in defence.
It was perhaps for these reasons as well that Coleman was ultimately left out of Ireland’s final squad for Euro 2012, with the less adventurous but, presumably in then-manager Giovanni Trapattoni’s eyes anyway, more reliable options such as Stephen Kelly and Paul McShane preferred.
Yet since Roberto Martinez has taken over at Everton, Coleman’s stock has risen considerably, to the point where he is now widely considered to be the best Irish player in the Premier League and leaving him out of a squad or first XI would be regarded as unthinkable for club and country alike.
Coleman was nothing short of a revelation in Martinez’s first season at Everton. In 2013-14, the full-back helped Everton finish fifth with a club record of 72 Premier League points. He made most people’s teams of the season, including the official PFA one, as well as being named Everton fans’ player of the year and the players’ player of the year.
He shone both in defence, where he was part of a backline that conceded just 39 goals and in attack — he created 45 chances (the third highest at the club) and had an 88% pass completion rate (the second highest at the club). He also managed an impressive (by full-back standards) six goals in 36 appearances during that memorable campaign.
However, like the rest of his Everton teammates, Coleman failed to emulate his superb form in 2014-15, as the Toffees laboured to an underwhelming 11th-place finish.
As much as Martinez has done for Coleman in overseeing his development and helping his game to evolve since becoming Everton boss, the Irish player’s career has seemingly stagnated to a degree in the last 12 months, and he appears to have been affected as much as anyone by the distinct lack of self-belief hampering the Merseyside club in recent times.
In contrast with the noticeable confidence in his game that saw Coleman earn man-of-the-match performances against sides of the calibre of Arsenal and Man United in 2013-14, during the season just gone, the Irishman’s performances have been afflicted with a certain degree of hesitance at times.
His unconvincing form was particularly palpable in Ireland’s recent vital Euro 2016 qualifier with Scotland when, despite finding himself in decent positions, the full-back’s final delivery was conspicuously poor on more than one occasion.
It is therefore not hard to see how his career would benefit from the confidence boost that a move to a club as big as Manchester United would undoubtedly provide.
TV and newspaper reports today suggest the move could become a reality in the coming weeks, with United understood to be in the market for a right-back.
Coleman, meanwhile, would hardly be a bad option for the Old Trafford outfit. At various points last season, Chris Smalling, Rafael and Antonio Valencia all occupied the Red Devils’ right-back berth, yet none totally convinced in the position, leaving the suspicion that it remains up for grabs at the club.
Neither Valencia nor Smalling are natural full-backs, while one of the abiding bad memories for United fans last season was Rafael getting totally bullied and overwhelmed amid the embarrassing 5-3 Premier League loss away to Leicester.
Not only does Coleman possess no shortage of skill, he is also one of the toughest full-backs in the top flight and would hardly have suffered a similar fate to that which the Brazilian endured on that infamous day at the King Power Stadium.
Moreover, the Killybegs native’s versatility is likely to be another reason for United’s interest.
Louis van Gaal is no stranger to working with attacking full-backs. Philipp Lahm consolidated his reputation as one of the best players in the world during their time together at Bayern, while the Dutchman also brought through Austria international David Alaba, who is now considered to be one of the top left-backs in Europe.
Furthermore, last season, Van Gaal often experimented with various formations, incorporating wing-backs on occasion, in addition to a more traditional 4-4-2 system with full-backs. Coleman would probably perform equally well in both scenarios, with his attacking talents if anything likely to be enhanced in a less familiar 3-5-2 role.
And so, while a move would surely work well for both aforementioned parties, it remains to be seen whether Everton would be willing to part with one of their prized assets. Particularly given last season’s lacklustre efforts, the Toffees will be determined to hold onto their best players and build on the squad they have, rather than being forced to significantly renovate it.
Career best-form in 2013-14 saw Coleman sign a new five-and-a-half-year contract with Everton as recently as last summer, hence any potential transfer fee is being discussed as costing United in the region of £20million.
However, regardless of his valuation, if the player and the club are determined enough to make the deal happen, then it will surely come to fruition one way or another.
Any deal involving Coleman would consequently be good news for Ireland, as much as anyone else. Should the transfer occur, the Boys in Green could finally boast of having a player appearing regularly for a top-four Premier League side for the first time in a very long time.
In addition, it would be another positive sign for the domestic game — after all, it’s just over six years since Coleman left Sligo Rovers to join Everton for a mere £60,000. Now, he might just be on the verge of making his next big step in a career that continues to promise so much.
