Everton striker Ellis Simms was ‘out of his depth’ during the Premier League game vs Liverpool on Monday evening, according to journalist Josh Bunting.

The Lowdown: Derby defeat at Anfield

The Toffees were the visitors at Anfield last night but suffered a 2-0 defeat thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo either side of half time.

The Merseyside outfit recalled the 22-year-old from his loan at Sunderland in December and Sean Dyche handed him a starting place for the highly-anticipated derby against their rivals.

However, the 6 foot 2 starlet was substituted on 61 minutes after failing to make a significant impact, losing possession more times (eight) than he completed a pass (seven), which has since seen him come under a bit of scrutiny.

The Latest: Bunting’s reaction

Taking to Twitter after the game, Bunting delivered a brutally honest verdict on Simms’ underwhelming performance for Everton. He wrote:

“Sadly Ellis Simms just isn’t ready yet for the Premier League, understand why Everton recalled him with the form he was showing at Sunderland but he’s out of his depth tonight. Need to play him in a two really but he’s just not up to this pace yet, hard game for him to come into.”

The Verdict: A matter of time…

Simms has only made four top-flight appearances throughout his entire career so it will take some getting used to, but it’ll hopefully only be a matter of time before he hits the ground running.

The Blues forward scored seven goals and provided two assists in 17 appearances during his time at the Stadium of Light, showing how prolific he can be when given a consistent run in a side.

The Oldham-born talent also provided an aerial threat, having won 2.8 of his duels per league game, and with the guidance of his experienced teammates and Dyche, he’s surely capable of replicating the same level of form at Goodison Park.