Noel Whelan believes that Jonjoe Kenny has all the attributes to be a Premier League star.

The 22-year full-back joined Schalke on a season-long loan this summer and he has impressed in Gelsenkirchen so far, winning the Bundesliga Rookie of the Month award for August and being nominated again in September.

Kenny left for first-team football after Marco Silva couldn’t guarantee him regular minutes on Merseyside, and the month seems to have worked well for the defender, and for Everton in the long run.

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Ex-Leeds and Coventry forward Whelan certainly thinks so, telling Football Insider that he has been impressed by the England youth international. Whelan said:

He’s doing really well at Schalke and that’s great to see.

He’s not going to start ahead of Seamus Coleman, who’s club captain and one of the main Everton players. But he’s getting great experience in one of the world’s top leagues, winning new fans and, ultimately, that can only benefit Everton as well as his own future.

I see no reason why he can’t make it at Everton. He impressed me with what I saw of him – really tenacious and industrious – and he can be a true Premier League star, absolutely.

Everton fans may hope that Kenny can continue to develop well throughout the campaign, with Seamus Coleman approaching the end of his Everton tenure and Djibril Sidibe having an uncertain future.

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I think Jonjoe Kenny is doing a phenomenal job in proving his doubters wrong this season.

Last summer there were a great number of fans who weren’t sure whether he had a long-term future with the Toffees, and Kenny’s loan move to Schalke has allowed him to go some way to show those fans what he can do and what he can offer Everton next season.

At just 22, Kenny has so much more potential to keep growing and developing with every game, and should he join Everton’s first team once again next season, I believe Everton may have Seamus Coleman’s ready made replacement waiting in the wings, with or without Djibril Sidibe.