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Donovan signs off with mixed feelings

The old theory that you should never go back has not applied to Landon Donovan. For the second time in three seasons, the American has thrived on loan at Everton and the club have responded in kind, though saying farewell after Saturday's FA Cup tie with Blackpool is not without its benefits. "Of course I'll miss it. How would you not want to be part of this?" he says. "But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited about laying on a beach on Monday."

It would be remiss to equate Donovan's love of home in the Californian sunshine with a lack of professional ambition. After all, this is a player feted in the United States as the country's all-time leading goalscorer and the highest scoring American in World Cup history, one whose goal clinched victory in the MLS Cup for LA Galaxy last season and who returns to the club having proven himself in the Premier League once again.

The longing to go home makes perfect sense, although there is one Everton farewell that does trouble the 29-year-old. Donovan's time at Goodison Park has coincided not only with another vast improvement in Everton's season, but also with renewed doubt over whether this will be David Moyes's final season in charge if, as expected, Harry Redknapp joins England and Tottenham Hotspur have a vacancy to fill.

As someone who considers himself an Everton supporter as much as player, the prospect is alarming but not inevitable. "I think sometimes players fit a club and sometimes managers fit a club," Donovan explains. "I don't think anyone would blame him for going somewhere like Tottenham, but I guess everything depends on who would come in his place instead. It would be a very sad day if he ever left this club, that's for sure. "I don't think I could overstate his importance. When you look around the league and you look at the salaries, as well as what teams are spending in the transfer market, against this team, it is almost a miracle that this team finishes as high as it does every year.

"He gets the most out of every player. He gets the most out of every signing. He has been fantastic. I can't imagine the things this club would do with some of the budgets that the other clubs have. The easiest place to look is across the road [at Liverpool]. If he could spend £50m or £35m on a player, think where this team would finish."

"I think I came with a fresh perspective," he explains. "The team had struggled a bit in the first part of the season. Even when I was watching the games back home, the energy seemed a bit down. It was almost like: 'We're going to dominate possession, create chances, and then let a goal in.' It was almost as though people were waiting for that to happen. But Steven Pienaar came with a fresh perspective, so did Gibbo, and that kind of changed the way the team has functioned."

Lots more at the link below...

Quotes or other material sourced from The Guardian

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