Everton might regret loaning out Kean

After going out on loan to PSG just before transfer deadline day, Everton striker Moise Kean has settled well into life at the French club and scored a brace last night for them in the Champions League.

So after enjoying a good start to his season-long loan, will Everton come to regret letting the former Juventus starlet leave this season?

Kean has had a tough time at Goodison Park since his high-profile and expensive move from the Italian giants last summer.

He was one of the most highly-regarded young talents in Europe and arrived to plenty of fanfare when he put pen to paper on a contract at Eveton. It was a considered a major statement of the Toffees intent, increased profile and pulling power that they were able to secure his signature.

You couldn’t help wondering though that perhaps Juventus knew something no one else did about the 19-year-old given that they were apparently so willing to let him go.

Anyway, the Blues got him and it was hoped at the time that he would be able to settle in quickly and start showcasing that talent.

However, unfortunately that wasn’t the case. He seemed to be struggling to find his feet on Merseyside and didn’t feature much for his new team early on in the season.

Whether his then manager Marco Silva had actually wanted him in the first place was a moot point. Whatever the reason, he obviously wasn’t impressing the manager enough to get a place in the side, despite the struggles Everton were having scoring goals.

When Silva was sacked in December and Duncan Ferguson temporarily took over, there was a chance for him to impress again.

Ferguson went with a 4-4-2, a tactical formation that would seem to suit Kean as he appears best suited to playing off a centre-forward rather than up front on his own or as an orthodox winger. He does though seem to enjoy playing as a wide forward, which is why I thought he might like playing in a 4-3-3.

However, the Scot went with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison as his strikeforce and then when the Toffees played at Manchester United and he came on, he was then substituted soon afterwards in a bizarre incident.

When Carlo Ancelotti became the new permanent Blues boss, there was renewed possibility that Kean might get more of a chance under his compatriot.

Ancelotti though, decided to continue with the same front two that Ferguson had paired together as they were playing so well.

Once again there was no regular place in the side for the teenage striker. He did in fact get a few chances under Ancelotti and started a couple of games later in the season, but he was still very much on the sidelines.

Rumours that he wanted out of Goodison Park began in January as his discontent with life in England seemed to be growing.

Fast forward to this season and he has had a few more opportunities to play and convince Ancelotti that he could still contribute. But he looked disinterested and lethargic in these games although he did score a few goals.

And so just before the end of the transfer window, Everton decided to let Kean go out on loan to PSG for the rest of the season.

This always seemed a little surprising to me and risky given the thin forward resources the club had. I thought it was worth persevering with the Italian striker for another season at least.

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There was a chance the Toffees would bring in another forward before the various transfer window’s shut, but in the end they didn’t.

That combination of decisions might now be coming back to haunt Everton with Richarlison having been suspended for three games following his red card.

The team are struggling to cope without him and although Kean might not have solved that problem, his absence and the failure to add another forward could well cost the Blues this season.

Although Richarlison is back in two more games time, he might well get sent off again if he carries on making tackles like the one he made on Thiago. And then what if he or Calvert-Lewin is injured – who will step up for the Blues?

I think if Kean continues to enjoy his time in Paris, he might also decide he wants to stay and  make his loan a permanent deal. Although Everton can obviously bring him back, a disinterested and unhappy Kean wouldn’t be good and it would be better to cash in on him in that circumstance, although I doubt the Blues will get anything near what they paid for him.