Can Michael Keane’s Everton rollercoaster peak again in the run-in? | OneFootball

If we rewind 12 months, it appeared to be the end of the road for Michael Keane at Everton. The defender’s deal was due to expire, and few anticipated an extension, given only 11 league starts for the campaign.

​As a summer of wholesale change took place, a decision was made to extend Keane’s contract for a further season. The veteran has divided opinion during an Everton career marked by peaks and troughs, but few would suggest that the extension wasn’t sensible now.

​Keane has started 24 games in the Premier League this season. Jarrad Branthwaite’s issues, and the failure to sign the recognised right-back that would allow Jake O’Brien to operate centrally, have thrust the 33-year-old into the side more often than most anticipated. A large number would suggest that, despite his limitations, he’s been Everton’s most reliable defender, and the Toffees need him now more than ever.

​Branthwaite’s season-ending hamstring injury was a body blow to hopes of European football, and David Moyes looks set to turn to Keane in his absence. A once-maligned figure has a big role to play across the run-in, starting with this weekend’s trip to West Ham.

​The Hammers are fighting for their lives, but lack the pace, at least in central areas, that could truly trouble the Achilles heel of the Keane-Tarkowski axis. January recruit Taty Castellanos is a presence, though he has a style that Tarkowski and Keane should relish facing.

​Furthermore, Keane’s reintroduction to the side could benefit the Blues at the other end. Only four players in the squad have scored more Premier League goals than Keane (3) this season. While that’s an indictment of a lack of firepower, it demonstrates his threat in the opposition’s box.

​Excluding penalties, West Ham have conceded the joint-most goals from set pieces in the Premier League this season (17), alongside Bournemouth. 15 of those goals have been conceded from corner kicks, a league high.

Keane’s future beyond this season was clarified this week. Again, out of contract, another extension was finalised that will take his time with the club to a decade. It’s a deal that has been earned, and one perhaps designed to free funds to address more pressing needs.

The natural evolution of the side means Keane should feature less regularly next season but, for now, he looks set to be a shoo-in for the remaining games. If he can play a prominent part in European qualification, it would represent an unexpected high on a nine-season rollercoaster ride that looked over a year ago.

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