Nathan Patterson sent Everton challenge as former Rangers star reminisces (2025)

Patterson put in a shift in an unfamiliar left back role as the Toffees held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Michael Ball hopes that Nathan Patterson's astute display out of position for Everton against Arsenal can be the catalyst for the former Rangers star to finally nail down a starting berth on Merseyside.

The full back has been ravaged with injury problems since making the £15million switch from Ibrox in January 2022 and has failed to pick up regular minutes under a succession of managers including Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche.

David Moyes' Goodison Park homecoming at the turn of the year had sparked fresh hope that Patterson would get a clean slate under the new management, only for the Toffees boss to state that the Scotland international needs to raise his levels if he wants to hold down a place in his team.

But the 23-year-old was handed a shock start in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Merseyside, and put in a solid shift as Everton continued their recent revival under Moyes by frustrating Mikel Arteta's side.

And what made Patterson's performance even more impressive was that he was deployed in an unorthodox role at left back instead of his preferred position on the other side.

The 21-time Scotland cap was picked ahead of versatile veteran Ashley Young against the Gunners and former Rangers and Everton star Ball feels that he held his own up against Arsenal wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri and then the returning superstar Bukayo Saka, who replaced the former at half-time.

And having been taken out of his comfort zone at left back to do a job on the opposite side during his own Everton career against Arsenal, Ball - who won a league title and a league cup in his five years at Ibrox between 2001 and 2006 - reckons that Patterson made it look almost seamless.

In his column for the Liverpool Echo, Ball said: "I was pleased to see Nathan Patterson get his opportunity for Everton and it reminded me of when I had to play full-back on my unfamiliar side – also against Arsenal – although he seemed to take to it easier than I did!

"I think everyone would have thought that Ashley Young would have been the natural replacement at left-back if Vitalii Mykolenko was ruled out.

"It was a brave choice from David Moyes. Nathan has been crying out for an opportunity, and he’s had bad luck with injuries.

"People might think that it’s an easy swap for a full-back, going over to the opposite side and some players can adapt to it very quickly.

"But for me as a natural left-sided player, the only position I never played on the pitch all the way through from being in the youth team to becoming a professional, was right-back. Then, unfortunately, I had to try and mark a certain Marc Overmars. Look, I’m so left-sided, it was difficult.

"I was trying to find my passes but Overmars was tricky and fast. If I went tight, he’d try and spin me but if I let him loose, he had time to bring the ball down and run at me."

"He made my life really difficult. But Nathan, against a tough team who like to use the width of the pitch, handled himself well.

"I thought he got his distances, in terms of his starting position, pretty correct. On the occasions that Arsenal switched the ball out, in the majority of times, Nathan was in a good position to effect the play and that would have given him confidence, putting in a decent performance on the opposite side of the pitch, playing against a top team.

"He’s one of those full-backs who likes to get forward and the type of player that Moyes would like to get into his side for next season.

"If he’s playing inside midfielders, instead of out-and-out wingers, it gives him the licence to use the width and get up the pitch like Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman did in Moyes’ first spell in charge of Everton.

"Between now and the end of the season, it’s up to him to show that he’s got the quality and try and express himself with a run of games.

"That’s what he hasn’t had since he came to the football club – consistency – and an opportunity to play back-to-back games of a prolonged period of time to demonstrate what he can bring to the table."