‘It’s Not Guaranteed’: Sean Dyche Reveals Private Warning He Gave Michael Keane at Everton

Despite being only eight games into the Premier League season, Everton has already experienced drastic shifts in perception.

Initially written off as relegation contenders, they are now seen as a stable mid-table side.

This fickle nature of football extends to opinions on players, with several Everton stars, like Abdoulaye Doucoure, Michael Keane, and Jordan Pickford, enjoying a resurgence in form after difficult periods.

One player who has particularly impressed Everton manager Sean Dyche is Michael Keane.

Dyche, speaking after Everton’s comfortable win over Ipswich Town, shared his thoughts on Keane, expressing joy and relief after the team’s recent turnaround.

Following four consecutive defeats at the start of the season, Dyche was under pressure.

However, an unbeaten streak in the last four matches has eased those concerns.

Dyche revealed a private conversation he had with Keane over the summer.

He explained how he communicated to the 31-year-old defender that no center-back position was guaranteed: “When he went away in the summer, I said, ‘It’s not a done deal that center-halves play every game.’

I’ve been loyal to the ones from last season because they were excellent for most of it. But I told him, ‘Come back fit.’”

Dyche praised Keane’s efforts in pre-season, noting his hard work and consistency, despite suffering a minor injury.

Keane’s solid performances have reinforced Dyche’s trust in him.

In another recent conversation, Dyche disclosed that he also advised Dwight McNeil on areas for improvement, despite the winger’s promising start to the season.

Keane remains one of Everton’s longest-serving players, having joined in 2017 for a then-club record fee of £30 million under manager Ronald Koeman’s tenure.

Over the course of 221 appearances, Keane has experienced a mix of high and low points at Goodison Park, contributing impressive performances and key goals, as well as occasional costly errors.

Keane shares his long-standing tenure with Jordan Pickford, who was also signed in the summer of 2017, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who joined a year earlier in 2016.

However, none come close to Seamus Coleman, who has made 424 appearances for Everton since his arrival in 2009.

Idrissa Gana Gueye is another veteran, though his time with the club was interrupted by a three-year stint at Paris Saint-Germain before rejoining Everton in 2022.