KEVIN MIRALLAS will be given a remit to entertain on his Goodison debut tonight – while Everton have distanced themselves from a move for Michael Owen.
The Belgian international will feature against Leyton Orient in the Capital One Cup this evening after impressing in training since arriving in a £5m deal, but former Manchester United striker Owen is unlikely to follow him into David Moyes’ squad before Friday’s transfer window closes.
Toffees assistant boss Steve Round hopes 24-year-old Mirallas can adjust quickly to English football and reiterated that the search for further signings goes on, even if Owen is not currently on the club’s radar.
Round said: “Mirallas will be involved definitely. He looks an exciting type of player. He’s got speed and good skills. He has quick feet to change direction fast and is intelligent enough to exploit space well. From that perspective he might put you on the edge of your seat a bit.
“He can play anywhere across the front, left, right or number 10 behind the front man. He can also play right up the top to run in behind – he’s very flexible.
“We saw him play a few roles for Olympiakos and we saw him play for Belgium against Holland and he started on the right then switched over. We like that because he can fill in.
“He could come in and hit the ground running and adapt in a few weeks or it could take a few months. The general consensus is that players from abroad take about three months to adjust to the intensity of our training and the speed of it. But the early signs are very good. He’s a fit lad and because of his pace as a player he’s slotted in and not looked out of place. We hope he can make an impact straight away.”
Speculation has grown that Owen would prefer a move to Everton, the club he supported as a boy, and although Round rates him highly he said Moyes is focussing on recruiting younger players. “There’s been no contact from us to Michael,” he said. “I can’t see that changing at the moment.
“I worked with him at Newcastle and England but at the moment he’s not been spoken about by the manager or the chairman.
“Michael is a proven goalscorer at the highest level. Even with his limited appearances at Manchester United his goals per game ratio was excellent. If he stays fit and plays for a Premier League team I’m sure he’ll score goals. But it’s not really the area we’re looking for.”
