Everton have no recall option on Derby County loanee Kieran Dowell, according to The Athletic.
22-year-old attacking midfielder Dowell began his career with Everton after progressing through the Merseyside club’s various youth teams.
Making two appearances in the Carabao Cup last season for the Toffees saw him gain minimal playing time and he quickly moved out on loan to Sheffield United, scoring twice and finishing as a Championship runner up.
Prior to last season, Dowell also spent time on loan at Nottingham Forest, where he was a regular, scoring ten goals in 43 appearances in all competitions.
It was that impressive form which saw him gain a loan move to Derby this summer, but the youngster has struggled to force his way into Phillip Cocu’s side and has spent the majority of his time either on the substitutes bench or out of the matchday squad.
A rare appearance from the bench on Tuesday evening against Fulham saw Dowell fail to shine and gain a yellow card for a late tackle towards the end of the game.
Everton have no recall option on Derby County loanee Kieran Dowell, according to The Athletic.
22-year-old attacking midfielder Dowell began his career with Everton after progressing through the Merseyside club’s various youth teams.
Making two appearances in the Carabao Cup last season for the Toffees saw him gain minimal playing time and he quickly moved out on loan to Sheffield United, scoring twice and finishing as a Championship runner up.
Prior to last season, Dowell also spent time on loan at Nottingham Forest, where he was a regular, scoring ten goals in 43 appearances in all competitions.
It was that impressive form which saw him gain a loan move to Derby this summer, but the youngster has struggled to force his way into Phillip Cocu’s side and has spent the majority of his time either on the substitutes bench or out of the matchday squad.
A rare appearance from the bench on Tuesday evening against Fulham saw Dowell fail to shine and gain a yellow card for a late tackle towards the end of the game.
The Athletic confirmed earlier this month that a loan working group at Everton which consists of welfare and football development officers, have been keeping a close eye on the situation, which could lead to the Premier League side pulling the plug on the deal sooner than next summer.
The Verdict
With no recall option and his lack of playing time at Pride Park, Everton are torn with what to do with Dowell.
Do they see him return to the Premier League side to play in the U23 squad or keep him at Derby with the hope that he gains some extra minutes every now and again for Cocu’s side.
One thing is for sure, the players morale will not be very high at the moment, hence his late lunge during Tuesday’s game and he may need to assess what is best moving forward sooner rather than later.
