Koeman sees a future for Baines at Everton

Leighton Baines will mark his 350th start in the royal blue when he lines up for Everton on Sunday against Chelsea, and manager Ronald Koeman sees a role for the player going forward as well.

Speaking during the pre-match press conference, Koeman commended the left-back for his quality of play and veteran leadership.

When asked what kind of influence Baines can play on his squad -

“A big influence. In my opinion, he is one of the best players this season in the team.

“He is showing his experience, his cleverness on the ball, and in my opinion sometimes we talk too much about some players and too little about some players, and he is one of that. He really is one of the best left full-backs in the Premier League.

“He is a really good professional, his fitness situation is really good, I think he can keep playing at least for the next two, maybe more.”

Sunday will mark Baines’ 309th Premier League game for the club, still third in the list for Everton behind Tim Howard’s 354 and Leon Osman 352 appearances. He has a total of 370 games for Everton, scoring 35 goals with 62 assists since he joined the Toffees in the beginning of the 2007-08 season.

He extended his current contract a few months ago, with it now set to expire at the end of the 2018-19 season. Do you think Baines is still a viable starter for the Blues, or should Everton look to replace him in the next year or so?