Everton fans are all saying the same thing about Michael Keane after his brief cameo against Brentford earlier today.
After all, few expected him to come on at all, let alone in the role that Sean Dyche had laid out for him.
With mere seconds left on the clock, the 52-year-old manager had been readying a substitution for some time.
It was expected to be a classic alteration, made late on in stoppage time to drag out whatever precious time was left on the clock.
But what Dyche did shocked many, bringing off a striker and throwing Keane on in his place.
So, what have Everton fans been saying about the 31-year-old after his hilarious striking appearance against Brentford? Let’s take a look…
Everton fans react to Michael Keane’s cameo vs Brentford
Unsurprisingly, nobody actually saw this long-running joke become a reality, not least in a game of this magnitude.
However, it arguably reinforces just how comfortable they were despite the score only being 1-0, with the Bees seldom threatening Jordan Pickford’s goal.
So, when Keane came on, it was expected that he might just revert into the back four, making it a five.
But for the minute and a half he was on, he prowled alongside Ethan Pinnock and Nathan Collins, inexplicably competing for headers and flick-ons.
This has sent Everton fans into a meltdown, and rightly so, as you can see their reaction to his display below.
Does Michael Keane have a new favoured position?
Whilst it has largely been in jest, many fans have claimed for years that Keane is one of the best finishers at the club.
And that has only really been eluded to in brief spells, with many of his Premier League goals being remarkable finishes rather than the towering headers one might expect from a central defender.
Such a ludicrous notion is only further emphasised by the training videos that are regularly released, which offer us a greater insight into the smaller-side matches.
There, Keane seems to finish with ease, powering home with immense precision.
It had been a longstanding joke, but not one that anyone took seriously despite scoring a scorching equaliser against Tottenham Hotspur in 2023, a cool close-range finish after his volleyed effort was parried against his former side back in December, and a sweet left-footed poacher’s goal in their infamous 2022 comeback against Crystal Palace.
Dyche, however, has clearly been listening.
Whether it be because of fatigue, or because he wanted to give Youssef Chermiti the standing ovation his fine Premier League debut had merited, Keane was the only viable option in his eyes to fulfil that role.
This club really never ceased to amaze.
