Leon Osman has called for Kevin Mirallas to be given a chance in the Everton side.
Pundit and former Everton midfielder Leon Osman has told the Liverpool Echo’s Royal Blue podcast that he thinks Kevin Mirallas should be starting for the Toffees.
Everton’s poor start to the season continued on Sunday, as they had to rely on a late Wayne Rooney penalty to salvage a 1-1 draw at Brighton, having fallen behind to Anthony Knockaert’s opener.
The Toffees have taken just eight points from their first eight games this season, losing four times already as Ronald Koeman struggles to get his side playing with any sort of fluency.
Whilst Koeman is being faced with a host of problems, one of his biggest issues right now is that his team desperately lacks pace and direction in the final third, despite trying numerous combinations.
One player he hasn’t given a single start to though, is Kevin Mirallas. The Belgian wide man signed a new contract at the end of last season, but then got cast aside over pre-season, and seemingly wasn’t settled in the final stages of the transfer window.
The 30-year-old has been with Everton for over five years now having signed from Olympiakos in 2012, and whilst he has blown hot and cold for the Toffees, he has hit 38 goals in 180 games for the club.
This term, Mirallas has yet to make a single start in any competition, and has played just 28 minutes of Premier League action, with Sunday’s seven-minute cameo his first action in almost a month.
Now, pundit and former team-mate Leon Osman has told the Liverpool Echo’s Royal Blue podcast that he thinks Mirallas should be starting just to offer some pace in the Everton attack, though he did suggest that Mirallas doesn’t have enough bravery – and that works against him with Toffees fans.
“He’s got skill, he’s got pace, he’s got the desire to score a goal,” said Osman. “Kevin Mirallas is a very good player. He’s got a lot of positive things to his game, which are great, but unfortunately, he’s not the bravest. I think he’d admit that himself. Sometimes, when you’re an Everton player, the Everton fans want to see a bit of bravery, so that works against him from the start.”
“Personally, I’d have him in my team. I think, especially now, with the lack of pace, I think to have him on the shoulder, he wants to run in behind, he wants to go one on one with the goalkeeper, and he’s very good in those situations. I certainly would have him in and around, and if he’s not starting, then he’s one of those impact substitutions you can use,” he added.
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