According to The Liverpool Echo, Everton director of football Marcel Brands and head of recruitment Gretar Steinsson have both made personal checks this season on Jonjoe Kenny during his loan spell with Schalke.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 22-year-old joined the Bundesliga outfit on a season-long loan deal last summer, and it is a temporary switch that has worked out pretty well to date.

Bundesliga.com did an article five weeks ago where the Englishman thanked Schalke manager David Wagner for helping him to be a success in Germany – the Liverpool-born full-back had started all of the Gelsenkirchen-based side’s opening 19 top-flight fixtures before missing the previous two through illness and then injury.

The Liverpool Echo says that Dutchman Brands watched the right-sided player in action earlier in the campaign, while Steinsson has also flown over to Europe to see him in action.

Does he have an Everton future?

It will certainly be interesting to see what happens this summer.

Indeed, this Liverpool Echo article has originated after German media outlet Der Westen reported earlier in the week that while Wagner would like to sign Kenny permanently, the club believe it is unlikely because of the other parties interested in the player.

There are some other factors to consider here, too.

Did he really play for us?! No Everton fan has managed to name all of these obscure Toffees players….

While the 22-year-old clearly has plenty of years ahead of him to make his mark at Goodison Park, it has to be remembered that Everton also have an option to sign Djibril Sidibe for £12.7m this summer when his loan spell from Monaco comes to an end, as per The Liverpool Echo.

The Frenchman, along with club captain Seamus Coleman, are both currently vying for the right-back spot under Carlo Ancelotti, and should they both be in the squad again next term, Kenny would surely face an uphill battle for regular minutes in the starting XI.

That said, The Liverpool Echo also quote what Brands said about Kenny at last month’s club AGM: “He was ready to play but we had Seamus Coleman playing regularly in that position.

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“We needed to give Jonjoe, at this stage of his career, the opportunity to play regular football at a very good level. But we also needed two players in the right-back position.

“Schalke in Germany was a perfect loan move for Jonjoe and he is now playing every week.

“We are sure he will come back to compete in the first-team next season.”

Brands and Everton clearly like him then, but something has to give here.

In other Everton news, Moise Kean has posted an Instagram video of him wearing his Everton shirt in a Miami gym…