Luke Garbutt scores first goal since 2015 but career at Everton must be over

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Everton loanee Luke Garbutt found the back of the net last night. The left-back scored for his loan club Oxford United against Accrington Stanley at the Wham Stadium. He arrived late at the back-post to head home his first competitive goal since scoring for Fulham in December 2015.

It was, however, in a losing effort. Oxford lost 4-2 and that has been the story of the Everton loanee’s season at the Kassam Stadium.

The U’s have struggled for any consistent form and are currently third from bottom in League One and fighting a relegation battle.

For the 25-year-old, this season has surely put the final nail in his Everton career coffin.

Garbutt was once an England under-21 international who looked destined to replace Leighton Baines as a long-term Everton left-back.

But a series of injuries, uninspiring loans and managerial changes have seen him drop out of contention at Goodison Park.

He has not been a regular for Oxford this season, struggling to hold down a place in the starting XI of a side battling relegation to the fourth-tier.

Everton handed Garbutt a new deal until 2020 back in 2015, when it was still believed he had a long-term future at the club.

But this summer Everton will struggle to find a buyer for the player. The best move might be to allow Garbutt an early release in order to find a new team to rebuild his once extremely promising career.

No Everton fan would begrudge him any future success. But it is now clear he needs to find a new permanent home.