Ronald Koeman says he is ‘not surprised’ by how Oumar Niasse has turned his Everton career around.
The Senegal striker proved to the hero on Saturday afternoon as his two goals ensured the Blues secured a comeback win over Bournemouth.
That brace took him to three inside a week following his goal in the 3-1 win over Sunderland in the Carabao Cup third round on Wednesday.
The turnaround has been a surprising one given Niasse’s career appeared to be over after Koeman exiled him from the first-team squad last season.
The Dutchman, however, insists he is not among those questioning it.
He said: “I am not surprised by Oumar but last season was a totally different situation with (Romelu) Lukaku.
“We did not sign a striker and we have two strikers, Sandro who is 21 and Dominic (Calvert-Lewin) who is 20 and that gave him a chance to be closer to the first team.
“The boy has the kind of qualities that when we are struggling, with his aggression and the way we play he can create a lot of problems.
“The first goal he won the ball, played the one-two and scored a goal.
“Nobody can stop him at the moment and all the credit to the player.”