As the players returned for pre-season training on Monday, there was one face that had slipped from the Evertonian consciousness.
Fans could be forgiven for letting Fabian Delph fall from their mind though.
The midfielder managed just 49 minutes in 2021 after making three cameos at the back end of the season and his entire Toffees career has been beset by fitness problems.
Sadly the same can be said for Jean-Philippe Gbamin.
Arriving from Bundesliga outfit Mainz at the same time as Delph, in the summer of 2019 for a fee of £25million, the Ivory Coast international has managed only three games in a royal blue shirt having been sidelined for the majority of his time on Merseyside.
The 25-year-old made two appearances for Marco Silva’s men but a troublesome thigh injury required two bouts of surgery. After battling back following an 18 month spell on the sidelines, he came off the bench against Crystal Palace in April of this year but cruelly sustained a knee injury in training which ruled him out for the season.
Now though, Gbamin, who is said to be feeling ‘very fit’, and Delph are ready. The duo were both in attendance at Finch Farm as the squad were put through their paces and they will be eager to impress their third Everton manager, Rafa Benitez, following Silva’s sacking and Carlo Ancelotti’s shock departure for Real Madrid.
However, if the pair do manage to stay injury-free, it seems their Toffees careers will no longer follow a similar path.
For Gbamin, this feels like a fresh start and the term ‘it’s like having a new signing’ will be bandied about if he can be available on a consistent basis.
He can be a key player for Everton for years to come having signed a five-year deal when he touched down on Merseyside. An energetic and combative midfielder, he is four years younger than Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Delph, though? It seems this will be his final season at Goodison Park with his three-year contract set to end next July.
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While Evertonians haven’t really been able to form an opinion on Gbamin due to his lack of game time, it’s fair to say Delph hasn’t stood out during just 24 Premier League appearances in two years.
It’s unlikely either will feature in any Everton supporter’s preferred starting line-up for the season opener at home to Southampton but, saying that, Gbamin may prove key as the campaign develops while Delph, too, could prove a useful member of the squad.
Gbamin will be chomping at the bit to show the Everton faithful what he can do.
"No it's not easy [being out for so long], but now I have three years left on my contract, so I will show why they bought me," Gbamin confidently told the ECHO in April.
"This is my target, I will work hard in training and show that I can start some of the games. But we have to be a little patient too, because after two years of injury it's never easy."
So far, he has been limited to three games and in terms of interaction and a connection with the fanbase, only kindly words of encouragement on the street and on social media.
He is yet to hear the famous Goodison roar with the majority of his time in England badly affected by the coronavirus restrictions. His Toffees career effectively starts in August.
Delph meanwhile, who turns 32 in November, will have to settle for a bit-part but really, will he make the Everton squad when the league reverts back to seven matchday substitutes?
Well, in April, Ancelotti said of his injury situation, which included calf and hamstring issues, "We are sad for this because Delph I think in this situation could help us with his experience, with his knowledge, with his ability.”
It’s true and Benitez will be well aware of the impact Delph had on Pep Guardiola’s title-winning Manchester City. A vocal leader in the dressing room, he was also utilised as a makeshift left-back and performed more than admirably at the Etihad Stadium.
The Yorkshireman hasn’t been as dependable for Everton but the new boss may be keen to use the qualities Delph showed at City, and before then Aston Villa, as he looks to help his team evolve and develop a winning mentality.
Gbamin has the chance to become the future of the Toffees midfield. Delph won’t, though he still has much to prove at Everton and could get opportunities during a long and arduous season.
