How 'fear clause' can finally open the door for Everton loanee Adam Aznou at Malaga
Everton loanee Adam Aznou has yet to feature for Malaga.
The Moroccan youth international departed Hill Dickinson Stadium on loan late in the summer window.
In truth, the left-back had never really been in David Moyes' plans, with zero Premier League minutes handed down last season.
However, allowing Aznou to leave may be a decision beginning to draw some regret in L3.
Vitalii Mykolenko is the sole natural left-back, and after he picked up an injury away on international break, Moyes will be sweating on his options.
Aznou's move has not started great, but the Toffees' loanee could finally be in line to kickstart his time at the Andalusian side.
How Malaga clause can hand Adam Aznou chance away from Everton
Aznou had been dealing with an early injury at Malaga, but over the international break, he has been recovering, featuring in a friendly against Cordoba for the La Liga outfit.
And the 20-year-old will be hoping his performance in that game was enough to push him closer to minutes in Spain.
Aznou's chance could come sooner than expected after returning from injury, with Malaga's first-choice left-back, Jose Salinas, unavailable to play this weekend.
As shared by the print edition of Spanish outlet DiarioSur, Malaga manager Juan Funes is facing a dilemma due to Salinas having a "fear clause" in his loan.
This means he will not be available for selection when the Andalusian side faces his parent club, RCD Espanyol, on the night of Friday, 9 October.
The outlet shares that the manager now has the choice of either selecting right-back Rafita out of position on the opposite flank, or finally handing Aznou his first competitive minutes.
But the former may be out of the question, with Rafita facing fitness concerns while out on duty with Spain's under-21s, and being described as "not being in peak physical condition."
Why Aznou cannot afford to waste his opening
The last thing Aznou will want to do is spend another year of his footballing career as a fringe option.
The clause in Salina's contract may be one of the few rare chances he will get to prove his place and potentially usurp the Spaniard in the squad.
If he is selected to start, the Moroccan needs to be at his very best, or else Everton may begin to question his signing.
For Aznou, it is not only a chance to push for more minutes this season, but to prove to Everton he is ready to have an impact when he returns from his loan.