Howard Kendall: John Heitinga not reliable enough for central defence at the moment

Johnny Heitinga's form this season hasn’t come near the standards he set last season when he won Player of the Season awards.

And if Everton are going to get the best out of him I think they need to keep him out of the penalty area. Maybe he’s trying too hard to impress, but he is doing far too many rash things, like that premature leap at St James Park. Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka are clearly the better defensive partnership, and maybe Heitinga would be better served playing in a holding midfield role. His form simply isn’t reliable enough at the moment to be playing in central defence. He can still be effective for Everton, but not in their penalty box!