Why Francis Okoronkwo is set for Everton exit after season-ending injury news
Everton talent Francis Okoronkwo will miss the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury.
Liverpool Echo’s Joe Thomas confirmed that the forward has returned to Everton‘s Finch Farm training base to rehabilitate the issue.
Okoronkwo was beginning to find his feet in Yorkshire, since joining the Dons in January, but he picked up a hamstring problem shortly after.
That issue is now set to keep him out, and potentially decide his future at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
What is Okoronkwo’s contract situation at Everton?
Okoronkwo joined the Blues in 2021 from Sunderland for a fee which is understood to be £1million, but he is yet to make his first team debut for the club.
It appears that he will not get the chance to do so, as his contract expires in the summer, and he will not have the chance to prove himself to David Moyes on loan with the League One club.
Surely the injury means that he will not be handed a new deal by the Toffees and is set for an exit after 30 June.
Where it all went wrong for Okoronkwo?
There was plenty of hype surrounding Okoronkwo when he joined the Merseyside club, but if he departs for nothing after being signed for such a big fee, it would be a huge disappointment.
Everton have not utilised their academy as much as they could have in recent years, with Jarrad Branthwaite the only real star to emerge out of the youth structure and become a first-team player.
The potential appointment of Dean Rastrick as Academy Manager from Norwich is a clever move from the Friedkin Group that should ease the pathway for youngsters to make it to the senior side.
| Club | Matches | Goals | Assists |
| Everton U18 | 16 | 9 | 3 |
| Everton U21 | 54 | 13 | 7 |
| Salford City | 24 | 4 | 0 |
| Lincoln | 20 | 2 | 0 |
| Doncaster | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Okoronkwo had a decent spell in the Under-18s with nine goals and three assists in 16 matches, but he could not replicate that form in the Under-21s.
When he went up to that level, he notched 13 goals and seven assists in 54 games, which is not the best return.
He has never scored more than four goals in any of his loan spells in the Football League away from the L4 outfit, so there is little evidence that he could make it in the Premier League, and he likely won’t be offered fresh terms.
For more Everton contract news, check out Football Insider for the latest updates.