The Everton forward came off the bench against Crystal Palace, but will he be left waiting on his first start?
Kean came off the bench for Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 69th minute of the dour 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park, failing to have much of an influence on the game.
Given his age and new surroundings though that’s natural, despite his big price tag. The 19-year-old is said to have made the switch to Goodison Park from Juventus for a £29m fee (The Guardian).
It’s an amount that comes with baggage, as well as anticipation and excitement from supporters.
However, Silva will work with Kean and other new signings extensively first before expecting difference-making performances, suggesting there could be something of an Everton transition period in the early stages of the season.
As quoted by The Echo, Silva said: “You are talking about young players and the game was a good example for the people to understand how, in some moments, we can put them straight in and what can happen is what happened with J-P and Moise in some moments of the game.
“Or we have enough patience and give time to them to manage them and work on them, while in the meantime getting results.”
This is the right approach to take, despite potentially poor results in the meantime as he and others get up to speed.
Kean is a long-term investment for Everton. Still just 19, throwing him into the deep end too quickly could make things much more difficult for him, especially if tasked with starting matches.
It might be frustrating for fans to see him on the bench, but the player has already made it clear he’s willing to take modest first steps in English football, to the betterment of all parties.
Small steps are the key to development at the elite level and Silva’s strategy should pay off in time, even if the Toffees are left waiting on a big impact from one of their star signings.
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