Mills: Everton must axe Rondon after horror reveal
Salomon Rondon is not currently justifying his place in the Everton starting XI, according to Danny Mills.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Man City and England defender insisted Rondon needs to offer more than his “big and cumbersome” presence up front.
The striker has been handed an extended run in the side with Dominic Calvert-Lewin out injured.
He started the 4-1 defeat to Liverpool (1 December) but managed to touch the ball just 27 times before being substituted with an injury after an hour, according to sofascore.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford managed 42 touches during the humiliating loss in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
Rafa Benitez confirmed after the game, via the Liverpool Echo, Rondon had suffered a hamstring injury but it is not clear if it will keep him out of action.
“Rondon works very, very hard,” Mills told Football Insider correspondent Conor Whitley.
“He didn’t really create too much, he didn’t really offer too much attacking prowess and threat.
“Can you really justify having a player in the team just to meet clearances and challenge for headers? Probably not is the answer.
“Rondon is what he is. He’s big, he’s cumbersome and he’s a target man. He will work very hard for you but Everton need a little bit more than that right now.
“He wouldn’t be playing so much if Dominic Calvert-Lewin wasn’t injured.”
Rondon is yet to score or register an assist in 11 games across all competitions for Everton.
The 32-year-old has scored 35 Premier League goals in 140 games for Newcastle United and West Brom.
In other news, two Everton senior figures could be sacked after a behind-the-scenes development.