OPINION
Andy Townsend delivered a brief verdict on Everton defender Michael Keane in order to use him as an example of player who previously struggled upon joining a club.
The BBC pundit shared that he thought the Toffees 26-year-old found it difficult in his first season at Goodison Park as the Merseyside club had bigger expectations than his former side Burnley.
“Michael Keane when he first went to Everton, he found it difficult going there and he wasn’t able to find his best game and he’s not the only player where you start to step up by going to clubs with bigger expectations, and sometimes it’s difficult to find your best game,” said Townsend on BBC Radio 5 Live (20:47, Monday May 20th).
While Townsend’s verdict is a little insulting to Burnley, and completely ignores the fact Keane spent years at Manchester United, he is right about the defender struggling in his 2017/18 campaign upon joining.
The Toffees centre-back looked a liability in several of his 30 outings in the Premier League and only averaged a rating of 6.94/10 according to WhoScored.
However in his 2018/19 campaign, Keane transformed for the better.
The 26-year-old was a confident presence at the back in his 33 league outings and this is reflected in the fact his average rating across those appearances was a 7.13.
While it’s only a slight difference, it was a notable one on the pitch.
So notable in fact that Keane has caught the eye of England manager Gareth Southgate in order to make the squad for this summer’s UEFA Nations League finals, as stated by The FA’s website, and there’s no way he would have made the cut if the tournament was last summer.
The 26-year-old has proven his worth this season to Marco Silva and it’s hard to remember a time when he wasn’t a trusted member of the Toffees’ defence.
Hence why Townsend’s verdict really highlights the transformation Keane underwent in his 2018/19 campaign as it’s difficult to imagine a time when he struggled with life at Goodison Park.