Why Everton star's loan form is good news for the club despite ongoing striker issues

Everton loanee Neal Maupay continued his resurgence in front of goal by netting the opener against Manchester City.

Maupay, 27, opened the scoring against Pep Guardiola's side as Brentford looked to stage an unlikely victory against title-chasing City. However, a Phil Foden hat-trick quickly put an end to such an outcome but the striker netted what was his six goal in all competitions for the London club since leaving Everton in a temporary deal.

Having struggled last season under both Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche, Maupay was given another chance at the start of this season but he failed to impress after missing two big chances in the season's opener against Fulham. Frustrations were high from the crowd, and he then departed to his old club in the hope of reviving his seemingly faltering career. However, this loan spell includes an obligation to buy, understood to be around £15m (€18m) which would be a great coup from a financial standpoint for the club and his current form will certainly increase the chances of that deal being done.

There's also Youssef Chermiti who signed in the summer and while the 19-year-old has struggled to earn minutes and hasn't been able to make an impact as of yet, he is highly-rated by the club and he is seen as a player for the future.

Prior to joining Everton, he managed 10 goals in his first season at Brighton before netting eight in the following two campaigns but he managed just one goal last season as he became the latest in a line of strikers to struggle in the Blue shirt. As it stands, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto are experiencing those struggles, with their combined total of four goals has already been matched by the loanee's efforts so far. In fact, since Romelu Lukaku's exit in 2017, Everton have spent near to £100m on strikers and the majority have struggled to make any real impact, with Calvert-Lewin being the only forward to score regularly across seasons.

However, goals, or the lack thereof, will be a huge issue for their Premier League status if it continues. They are battling hard with the likes of Luton Town and Nottingham Forest and surviving relegation is once again going to be an incredibly tough task.