Everton officially sign former Manchester United defender to contract until 2027

Everton are still keeping up hopes of a spot in Europe next season, as the race for the Europa League and UEFA Conference League are still on.

While Brighton currently sit in sixth on 50 points, and Bournemouth sit in seventh on 49, there’s only a six-point gap between them and Crystal Palace in 13th on 43 points.

The Toffees find themselves currently in tenth on 47 points, only two off Bournemouth, and with games coming up against Sunderland and Palace who are both in the race, they have a great chance to climb higher.

As such, it’s no real surprise that the club are looking ahead, wanting to secure the future of their top players, which is what they’ve done as defender Michael Keane is set to remain at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Michael Keane signs new Everton contract

Announcing the contract on their official website, Everton confirmed: “Michael Keane will extend his time with Everton into a 10th season after signing a new one-year contract with the Club until the end of June 2027.”

The statement continued: “The centre-back has made 259 appearances for the Blues to date, having signed from Burnley in July 2017, with 223 of those outings coming in the Premier League – placing him joint-14th on the Club’s all-time list.

“The 33-year-old defender has also netted an impressive 19 goals for the Toffees, while earning nine of his 12 England caps during his time with Everton.”

Speaking for the first time since putting pen to paper, Keane commented: “I’m really happy. The Club means a lot. It’s one of those things that’s easy to say, but it has become part of me.”

He continued: “It’s who I am and it feels like family to me – the people around the Club, the fans, the players, the staff. So it’s really special to me and I couldn’t really imagine my life without Everton.

“I think it’s been a great season for me personally. I’ve played a lot of football – probably more than I expected – and I feel like I’ve done well and I’ve absolutely loved it.

“So to get my 10th year here, I think it’s a big achievement and one I’m proud of. Ten years is a long time.

“I’ve seen a lot here and been through a lot and it’s good now we’re in a much better place than what we have been in the past.

“I go into my 10th season looking really positive, and thinking what we can achieve and where we can be is really exciting.”

Before joining Everton, moving to Goodison Park in 2017, Keane came through the Manchester United academy, having joined the Red Devils in 2004 at the age of eleven.

The centre-back rose through the ranks, however only made one senior appearance for United in their 1-1 draw agaisnt Sunderland in the Premier League back in 2014, coming on for an injured Chris Smalling.

Instead of breaking into the United senior team, Michael Keane found himself on a series of loans to Leicester City, Derby County, Blackburn Rovers, and Burnley, before settling at Turf Moor for two years before his Everton move.

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