‘If I hadn’t spent that year at Everton’ – Moise Kean opens up on his struggles with the Toffees

Fiorentina striker Moise Kean has admitted that his struggles at Everton shaped him into who he is right now following an impressive start to the season.

The 24-year-old Italian scored just four goals in 39 appearances for the Toffees before returning to Juventus in 2021, but he has notched 11 goals in 14 games this term.

Kean joined Everton from Juve for £27 million in 2019, but he spent 2020-21 on loan at Paris Saint-Germain before returning to Juve ahead of 2021-22 on a two-year loan deal.

He struggled for game time at the Goodison Park club under Marco Silva, Duncan Ferguson and Carlo Ancelotti, and he insists his experience at Everton has come in handy.

“Out of all the experiences I’ve had, you won’t ever hear me say I had a bad one,” Kean told The Athletic.

“I find positives in all of them. If I hadn’t spent that year at Everton, I wouldn’t have learned the things I did there. I was a bit unlucky.

“I went there expecting to play a bit more. I was 19. I joined from Juve and thought I was going to smash it. Unfortunately, it didn’t go like that.

“We went through three coaches that year. Mentally… it was all new for me. I was in England – it was a new environment.

“But England made me learn a lot about myself. I matured a lot.”

Kean was dropped by Everton against Southampton in November 2019 as a disciplinary measure after being late for a team meeting for the second time, but he has since matured into a reliable professional.

Duncan Ferguson irked the youngster as interim manager the following month, removing him in the 89th minute in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United, having only brought him on in the 70th minute.

Such experiences at Everton have toughened Kean up, and he is starting to establish himself as one of the best strikers in the world following a brilliant individual campaign so far this term.