OPINION
Everton must remain patient with Yannick Bolasie as he can be a game changing player for them in the coming seasons.
The pacey winger returned to first-team action in December after being sidelined for over a year with a serious knee injury.
Sam Allardyce recently commented that the 28-year-old was yet to be able to play at his very best following his time out.
“I think we are still waiting for catch-up on Yannick Bolasie and James McCarthy,” revealed Allardyce,as quoted by The Sun.
“They have both been out more than 12 months, so they aren’t quite as good as we know they can be, but they will get better.”
Bolasie has made five appearances this season since returning from injury, but has only managed to play the full 90 minutes on one occasion.
The winger’s 90 minutes came during Everton’s 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in the FA Cup, where his side only managed one shot on target.
Bolasie’s Toffees career before his injury isn’t exactly noteworthy either.
The 28-year-old suffered his injury shortly after joining from Crystal Palace for £25million, according to the Guardian.
It’s quite possible given how long he was out for, that Bolasie needs a whole season under his belt before he gets anywhere near being the player he was.
However, it’s worth Everton taking their time with the winger, even if he not able to get back to his best next season.
There are several reasons why Bolasie is worth the wait.
Firstly, there are few full-backs in the league, perhaps the world but Bolasie hasn’t had that opportunity yet, who can stop the 28-year-old from getting past them.
With his superb dribbling ability, skillful touches and pace that has him tearing down the wing; he’s one of the best attacking threats at the Toffees and in the league.
Even when you consider, his finishing could use some work, he’s still among the elite players of the Premier League.
Everton would be unable to find a player with that sort of ability that would be willing to join them, even if they had limitless funds.
The winger may only have 23 assists in 107 Premier League appearances, covering his time at Everton and Crystal Palace, but if his movement off the ball was credited, he’d have the double that.
During his spell at Palace, defenders were too busy trying to keep their eye on the winger, that they missed an opportunity being created and scored by his teammates.
Now while fans and Allardyce will understand he needs time, with the pace football goes at; they may fail to give him enough in order to recover.
Supporters are always quick to jump on players’ backs for what they consider lackluster performances, but with Bolasie, they need to be patient.
The 28-year-old will change games for the better in the Toffees’ future, but Everton have to keep the faith as he won’t deliver in the short term.