Everton have confirmed that they have agreed a deal to send young midfielder Kieran Dowell on loan to Sheffield United for the second half of the season.
The Toffees revealed on their official Twitter account that the 21-year-old England under-21 international would be joining the Championship outfit for the remainder of the campaign, linking up with the Blades when the transfer window opens on January 1st.
?? | @kierandowell1 joins @SUFC_tweets on loan from January 1.
All the best, Kieran! pic.twitter.com/KA7MbqLufh
— Everton (@Everton) December 28, 2018
Dowell, a versatile midfielder, has made two senior appearances for the Toffees this season, both coming in the League Cup, and has a total of five first team outings under his bench, as well as 12 under-21 caps for England.
Opinion
Having struggled to make any sort of impact on the senior side this season it seemed almost a guarantee that Dowell would be heading out on loan and it has proven to be Sheffield United who have won the race. He has a lot of promise – his regular appearances for the young Three Lions demonstrates that – but with the amount of quality already at Goodison Park operating in a similar role, game time would have been scarce, if not non-existent, for the youngster in 2019. Sending him out gives him the chance to flourish and grow as a player during what is an important period for his career. With a couple of years left on his Everton contract he does not have to worry about his immediate future and so should take this loan deal as an opportunity to play with the freedom he would like. Of course he is going to be under pressure at Sheffield United, but that will only help him become a better player and more well suited for the demands of the Premier League.