![Oumar Niasse has been handed a shock recall to the first team squad at Everton](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/nintchdbpict000351113819-e1504865186740.jpg?crop=1401px%2C368px%2C1450px%2C964px&resize=620%2C413)
Everton striker Oumar Niasse back in Ronald Koeman’s first-team plans after 18 months as a Goodison outcast
OUMAR NIASSE has been recalled from the Everton wilderness by manager Ronald Koeman.
Niasse has spent the past 18 months as a virtual outcast at Goodison Park after Koeman decided he had no future at the club.
He was shipped out on loan to Hull last season and Everton had been hoping to off-load him this summer only to fail to find any buyers.
But now the 27-year-old Senegal star has been handed a shock chance to resurrect his career on Merseyside after Koeman was left with no choice but to make him part of his plans.
Everton had been searching all summer for a new striker having sold Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United in a £75million deal.
They had been hopeful of landing Arsenal star Olivier Giroud to spearhead their attack but failed to get a deal over the line before the transfer window closed.
That left Koeman with only Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Sandro Ramirez as out-and-out strikers in his squad, so he turned to Niasse who had been sent to train with the under-23 side.
Koeman said: “Niasse is back in the first team. It gives us another option for the striking position.
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“It’s not necessary to speak any more about what happened last season, I found that now is the right time to bring him back to the first team.
“He’s an Everton player and sometimes in life you need to give some opportunities.”
Koeman added: "Last season was a different season. Maybe we had other strikers so we found it difficult to find a position for him.
"But his behaviour was perfect, he played games for the Under-23s and I think now is the right time to bring him back to the first team.
“He needs to fight like every player for his opportunity.”
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