Everton defender Nathan Patterson starts for Steve Clarke on Scotland duty amid struggle under Sean Dyche

The 22-year-old has been in and out of the side under Sean Dyche this season and has only come off the bench in the 89th minute of the past two Premier League games, having only started once in the league since 2 September.

But he is back in the first XI for his country as the national side, who have already qualified for Euro 2024, take on Georgia on 16 November

Dyche started the young Scot for the first four top flight matches of the campaign, but since then has left him on the bench for every game but the win at West Ham, with Ashley Young preferred on the right of the back line.

Vote of confidence

With Dyche having made clear he didn’t fully trust Patterson as a Premier League defender last season [Daily Record, 20 April] it won’t inspire a huge amount of confidence that he is being kept out of the side by a 37-year-old veteran this term.

While Everton are getting results there is clearly less reason for the manager to make a change, but Young hasn’t quite been the steady presence that would have been hoped for since his summer free transfer.

The former Manchester United and England man was surprisingly vital at Aston Villa last season but hasn’t really replicated that form at Goodison Park.

Even so Dyche seems intent on having his influence at the back wherever possible, starting him in every Premier League game this season aside from the win at West Ham on 29 October where he was suspended following his red card at Anfield the week before.

That Patterson was brought in for that game but dropped back out immediately after, despite Young showing none of the veteran know-how that would be expected in getting sent off against Liverpool, shows Dyche still seems unconvinced by the Scot.

Craig Pawson’s refereeing in the Merseyside derby left plenty to be desired from an Everton perspective, but Young played straight into his hands yet still got his place back at the first opportunity.

With Vitalii Mykolenko now going from strength to strength on the left, and with Seamus Coleman returning to fitness, Patterson might be restricted to starts only when he is on Scotland duty for the foreseeable future.

In other Everton news, the Toffees have been tipped to be back in for a transfer target in January as he would “gladly” accept a return to England.