Bent overjoyed for Everton player after impressing on Tuesday
There wasn’t an Everton supporter in Goodison Park on Tuesday night who wasn’t overjoyed for striker Moise Kean when he opened his account for the club.
The Italian international’s first strike for the Toffees had been a long time coming, but it was worth the wait.
The 19-year-old collected the ball in the box, managed to bring it under control and drove it between the legs of Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
The relief on the young man’s face was evident, and you couldn’t help but feel good for him. Former England international Darren Bent certainly did.
“When he scored that goal I felt like I’d scored it with him,” he told Football Insider. “The passion that came out of that celebration – listen, it still was not the greatest of finishes, I’m sure Dubravka will be disappointed, it squirmed under him – I’m delighted for him.
“He’s had to deal with a lot; first coming to a new country, not playing in his right position a lot, having to play second fiddle to [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin, struggled a little bit of form, the embarrassing situation at Old Trafford.
“He’s had a lot to deal with but fair play to him, he didn’t let his head drop, still running around and working hard. Hopefully, it’s the first of many, we know the ability’s in there.”
How good was this moment for Kean?
It was wonderful, and you could see that he was absolutely elated. This is a youngster who could have gone into his shell amid his initial struggles in England, but he’s done the opposite.
The teenager has got his head down and continued to work hard, despite the humiliation of being subbed off as a substitute against United, which Bent alludes to.
The task he’s got now is to continue to play well, develop more consistency and start finding the back of the net with regularity.
In other Everton news, a reported Toffees transfer target is said to be unwilling to move to Goodison Park.