Marco Silva lifts the lid on Ademola Lookman’s departure from Everton in the summer

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Everton manager Marco Silva has offered some insight into the departure of Ademola Lookman from Goodison Park last summer to join RB Leipzig.

As per the Liverpool Echo, Silva has said Lookman was in his plans when last season ended but the English winger had wanted to leave since the start of the 2018/19 campaign.

He said: “At the end of last season he came to see me in his office to tell me what he was thinking. I respect his opinion but I said to him ‘you are in my plans again’.

“Then came an offer, he had just two years left so we are talking about many, many things. It is not just a technical point of view. The quality is there, he has to change some things, but the quality is there.”

TBR’s View – Silva clearly rated Lookman but had a reluctance to play him last season

How much Silva rates Lookman is clear from his effusive praise, which begs the question – why didn’t he play him more last season?

He knew Lookman was looking to leave and it’s not as if Theo Walcott was pulling up too many trees when he got far more gametime.

Silva likely thought he needed to improve the other side of his game, but ultimately didn’t give him enough gametime to convince him to stay or extend his contract.