Oumar Niasse is unlikely to be afforded an Everton lifeline by Ronald Koeman despite enjoying a renewed lease of life with the club’s under-23 side.
Niasse was banished from the Blues first-team following a solitary 45-minute outing during pre-season following Koeman’s appointment this summer.
Since then the Senegal striker, a £13.5 million arrival from Lokamotiv Moscow in February, has excelled with the U23s, scoring a combined five goals.
A hat-trick against Reading on Monday turned the tide in favour of David Unsworth’s side as they maintained their place atop Premier League 2.
But Koeman has warned Niasse that his hopes of a first-team reconciliation still appear precarious in spite of his recent Finch Farm renaissance.
He said: “I hope he scores a hat trick in the Under-23s every week.
“I never say never in football but that decision I took is not something I usually change, and that’s between us.”