The Most Improved

I was at Burnley FC yesterday and someone asked me about Keane. He had no idea about that injury.

I hope he keeps on improving but he's a centre-half who can be bullied, a centre-half who teams constantly try and isolate, so the jury is still very much out on Keane for many.

This is a big season for most of our players, and I hope they go from strength to strength, but you don't become a top player until you start competing at the top end of the table, imo, and that's got to be the challenge for every Everton player this coming season.

Michael Keane, a nice honest lad, just doesn't do it for me, the defence played better in the last few games of the season. I never saw a big difference in Keane's game to be honest and his complete lack of pace will let him down in my opinion. My blood pressure definitely goes up when I see Michael defending. I hope Zouma comes back and I bet Michael does.

I believe his star will continue to rise next season. Especially if his defensive partner Zouma is acquired.

Let's hope our form picks up where it left off.

You have to shake your head a bit over the way the club treated his injury. Mina has also got a lot to do to improve but the both of them have what it takes to form a very solid pairing for the next number of years. Even if we do get Zouma. I'm looking forward to a lot our players improving over the next couple of years.

Keane was undoubtedly much better last season. He looked more mobile and his positioning was better. His passing out of the back also impressed me on occasion. I hope he can keep that up and continue to prove me wrong.

However, I think the most improved player of the coming season will hopefully be Mina. I'm excited to see this lad once he has really settled. I believe that him and Zouma may be Silva's first choice pairing for the long-term future.

For now, though, Keane is the first centre-back on the teamsheet. If he can start the new season like he ended the last one, we will be in decent stead.

When I see clubs willing to pay 㿲m for Harry Maguire, I'm very happy that we have Michael Keane. I do take a different view on this lad than that of Dave and Tony Abrahams; I think he's just had a very good season; if he keeps improving at the rate he did over the last 12 months, he will become a fixture for Everton and England for years to come. After Seamus, Michael will be Everton's next captain.

Zouma and Keane seem to really compliment eachother and one thing that's often overlooked is how good Keane is passing the ball out of defence, not saying he's quite John Stones standard but he's certainly a good distributor of the ball.

I believe over the next 3 years he can only get better.

I really like the lad as he comes across very genuine and articulate, however, I think everything depends on who plays alongside him.

If we get Zouma with his pace then Keanes deficiencies can be reduced.
If we go with Mina and Keane I think we could struggle against teams with pacy midfielders or forwards.

That being said, after his injury woes, he has changed my opinion of him.

The jury is very much out on Mina. He had a similar season to Keane's first season blighted with injury though in his case he wasn't rushed back as we didn't need him. If the Zouma transfer doesn't happen, then it will give Mina the opportunity to show us what he is made of or not.

I just hope Mina can actually stay fit so we can actually get a fair assessment on him over a season. That said if, (a very big IF) Zouma signs then Mina starts the campaign on the bench and there's no argument on that.

Mina did show some promise, the home and away games against Chelsea he was really solid and the Anfield derby he played a part in a defence that deserved to keep the clean sheet but for Pickford's juggling act.

Who knows how next season will shape up but we do need to add Zouma to this defence, it will be great for both Mina and Keane to have his presence there. Let's be honest he was imperious toward the end of last season, the big Frenchman.

Regarding Keane, he's undoubtedly a good character and influence behind the scenes, as well as being a consistently good centre half (based on last season). You can't have enough lads like him, Gomes, Coleman etc. These lads clearly fit in and are happy to be here. We have had our fingers burnt in the last 3 years, with players like Williams, Bolasie, Sandro, Schneiderlin all earning top dollar and producing very little. Keane goes under the radar because he just does his job, but he'll be an important player for us in the next few years.

On the plus side, he is a committed team player and, providing he has efficient midfield cover in front of him and a talented partner alongside him, he should prove to be a reliable centre-back, albeit one not quite at the very top level. I would like to see him score a couple more goals per season. Somehow his headers from set pieces always seem to clear the bar.

Dependable, assured, a very consistent. Expect Mina to step up this season, and give us a very dominant center-back pairing. Both are big and powerful, and neither is a slouch.

Zouma, I assume will be unattainable, and expect us to sign another center-back, but most likely as a 3rd choice/competition - someone like Adam Webster would be ideal, maybe could offer Pennington or Matty Foulds in part-exchange, and/or loan Feeney or Gibson.

What we didn't know until well into his second season were the details of the foot injury that could have cost him his career. To that we can add the fractured skull he suffered at Bournemouth early last season. There was absolutely no hesitancy in his bravery or commitment to get back into the physical mix of things on his return.

Now I respect the opinions of the wise old sage that is Dave Abrahams and that difficult lad of his(!!!), but I have to disagree with them when they say that Keane continues to give them palpitations.

Nor do I agree with those clamouring for Zouma (who I also want back at the club on a permanent deal) who claim he was our best centre back last season. That award should go to Michael Keane.

Yes, he lacks some pace. Yes, when a clever forward is running at him he can be 'stood up', left flat-footed and be passed either side (but not always). But he is a very clean and consistent defender of the high ball (contrary to the claims of some), puts in great recovery tackles and for me is our best ball-playing centre-back.

Time and time again he is very composed on the ball, waits and reads the situation well before adjusting and opening up his body to make crisp accurate passing forward which quickly puts Everton on the front foot.

His form last season earned him a recall to the England where there is fierce competition for his position. Any and every time he played, he looked as if he belongs in the international set up.

I am more than optimistic that, like a fine wine, an injury-free Michael Keane will continue to mature and age well.

Lyndon, great article and an outstandingly detailed summary of Keane's 2017-18 injury nightmare and his unwillingness to either go public with it or sit out. No mention, however, of the skull fracture last season -- and his fearless deployment of that same skull when he returned. He never flinched on a contested header even as the fracture was still healing. I find his courage inspirational.

Yes, he can be turned -- we saw Lukaku do it to him when Burnley visited Goodison Park in early 2017 -- but he has improved in this area, and his passing has gotten much, much better. As John #16 said, I'd love to see his aerial strength produce a few more goals, and I do think his combination with Mina has the potential to be a consistent attacking weapon on set pieces.

Danny B #13, Mina is right-footed.

He is a really good player, and perhaps future captain? And still Young.

He's good and generally a sound player. Brian Labone he ain't, but I'm possibly being too demanding.

Still turns slow enough to warrant the nickname "The Egremont", but footballers (the smart ones) learn to overcome their shortcomings. He isn't getting as tight as he used to and that makes it harder for forwards to turn him. He also started to play awkward balls into decent areas instead of trying to bring them down.

I'm not entirely in agreement with Lyndon's title but he is correct to point out there was significant improvement in Keane's all-round game.
He reads the game well. He is a fantastic blocker and when given time, the accuracy and weight of his passing is really quite decent. He can take as much credit as anybody for our improved form in the second half of last season.

I just hope he continues to improve. That`s all any of us can ask really.

If Zouma, by some stroke of fortune, were to return and Mina lives up to his potential, Keane could still end up the odd man out. But he's shown he'll definitely fight like hell for his place.

Not the best centre back? No, of course not. He cost half of Stones (sorry to mention the player on here again Darren Hind) and a third of Virgil. But if he keeps up the level he raised his game to in the latter part of the season he will be well worth what was paid.

This season, up until Christmas, he was average – no more, no less – but granted he came through that and turned out to be one of our better players. Oh, and by the way, Martin he never cost us relatively little, I'm not sure, but I think he cost us 㿄 million – hardly a drop in the ocean was it, 2 years ago?? He's still got a way to go before he convinces me he'll be a Goodison Great.

Over to you.

Keane was poor before during and after his injuries and the fans had the right to say so. They judge a performance on what they see. They do not take unknown circumstances into consideration.

When a player performs badly he is criticised, if he improves dramatically it is generally recognised (Lyndon penning this article is testament to that)

The club should be criticised.
When we took that, much referred to, hammering Keane speaks about down at Southampton, many saw it as a watershed. The biggest victim was David Unsworth. Turns out his entire defence was ravaged with injury and because the club had allowed a situation to develop where we didnt have cover. the walking wounded were wheeled out. The club got what it deserved. . The fans most certainly didnt.

Jim Harrison

When I said I would not be discussing the Man City Center back any further. I was speaking for me, not anybody else.
Knock yourself out mate

Still makes silly rash decisions in coming out to challenge for balls he's never going to win, sloppy in possession and poor distribution.

I can see why Maguire is more highly rated but the money these days isn't a reflection on a players abilty it's more to do with agents, being popular (home country, international caps, positive media attention) and fitting in to a clubs style.

I'm sure we would ask for double the £30M we paid for Keane but IMO he's not as good as Zouma that we want to pay £25M for.

He is obviously a man of strong character and a player who continues to impress. To boot, he appears a top bloke off the pitch.

Good luck Michael - you're what we need more of.

He would have to play a lot more games under the influence of those pain killers before I had anything but love for the man!

I do wonder about Everton sometimes.