Jack Grealish has been injured since the turn of the year and has not been able to contribute anything more to the season as Everton seek a return to European football for the first time since 2017.
Before that injury, the ex-Aston Villa youth product had been in decent form for the Blues, scoring two goals and having six assists to his name.
His impact had been more than just the bare statistics, though, and Grealish's ability to pressure and panic opposing defences and win free so many kicks was clearly helping to improve the Toffees team and its attacking potency.
The former England regular also seemed to have had a positive contribution to the side in the dressing room, given his infectious enthusiasm for the game and experience.
All that is on the plus side of the ledger. However, there are a few negatives to be taken into account as Everton boss David Moyes weighs up his options and considers who he wants in his squad to take the team forward next season, hopefully in a European tournament too.
First of all, of course, are the obvious injury issues he has experienced over recent years and which have resurfaced again during this campaign.
Tied to this is his age. Grealish is thirty and will turn 31 just a month after the new season opens later this year in August. So it is very probable that, given his age, his injury issues are not going to get better. Ideally, the Blues should then be looking at younger talent as they build for the future.
Finally, on top of all that is the player's huge wages, which are around £300,000 per week and will make any prospective new club think twice about having to pay such a massive amount.
City are keen to get Grealish off their wage bill as he clearly does not have a future at the Etihad Stadium, so it is likely that they will be willing to come to some arrangement to facilitate a move. And so another year's loan with an obligation to buy might happen, although it is not straightforward to sort out.
Looking at all the aspects of this potential transfer, I think Everton should be very careful about agreeing to extend their current loan run for another year and include a clause for it to become permanent.
With the complications of the player's current contract, age, and injuries, the Toffees are better off considering other options as they look to strengthen the team's wide attacking talent for the longer-term.
Moyes is ambitious for the Blues to make tangible progress, and qualifying for Europe would be the first step.
Signing younger players would seem the best strategy to fulfill that ambition, but the manager is also always ready to sign older players with experience, and so a new deal for Grealish could certainly be on the cards.