Relegation strugglers Everton went into the international break in a buoyant mood after a run of three Premier League games unbeaten, with Sean Dyche notably seeing his side claim a draw away to Chelsea at the death last time out.
The arrival of the former Burnley boss looks to have revived hopes regarding the Toffees' bid to stay in the division, with the Merseysiders looking set to pull off yet another survival escape, having previously stayed up by the skin of their teeth last term.
Whether or not the Goodison outfit do eventually secure their place in the top flight, it does appear that a fresh start will be needed if the club are to avoid a repeat scenario occurring next season, with a squad overhaul likely to be required.
One man who should seemingly be moved on ahead of next season is long-serving defender, Mason Holgate, with the versatile centre-back – who can feature at right-back or in midfield – having become something of a spare part in recent times.
The former Barnsley man was notably linked with a move away from the club in January – The Athletic reporting that Everton were 'open' to the Englishman departing on loan – with it set to be no surprise if a departure is also mooted this summer.
With the £70k-per-week dud still having just over two years left to run on his existing deal, it may be an ideal time to sanction an exit this summer, with the Premier League side likely to be hoping to secure a profit on their initial £2m investment.
What is Mason Holgate worth?
As per Football Transfers, the Doncaster-born defender is now said to be worth around £18m, ensuring that the Toffees could be set to make around nine times more than what they originally paid to bring the then-youngster to the club from Oakwell in 2015.
That would provide some much-needed funds for a player who has frankly become something of a forgotten figure of late, with Holgate having made just five league appearances so far this term, with only one of those coming since facing Tottenham Hotspur back in mid-October.
The 6-foot man's solitary outing in recent times came in the thumping, 4-0 defeat away to Arsenal, in which he failed to win a single duel and recorded a pass accuracy rate of just 57%, after entering the fray at the break.
While the one-time West Bromwich Albion loanee has endured injury woes this season, the fact that he has started just three top-flight games this term is a marker of his slide down the pecking order, after previously starting 23 league games last term.
With Dyche currently well stocked for central defenders, having utilised the likes of James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey and Conor Coady, it is hard to see Holgate forcing his way back into the picture, particularly having been criticised as a player "who makes too many mistakes and doesn’t read the game well enough", as per talkSPORT pundit Andy Townsend.
With it looking unlikely that former England U21 international will see a change in fortunes between now and the end of the season, a parting of the ways should seemingly be on the cards.
