Loaned to Everton last season from Aston Villa, there was hope that Anwar El Ghazi could get his career back on track.
That didn’t happen, as the forward only ever made two appearances for Everton under Frank Lampard, who never appeared convinced by the Dutchman.
He returned to Aston Villa, who didn’t particularly want him either, and so he returned to PSV Eindhoven for a minimal fee of £2.25m.
He has since played rather often for the Eredivisie side and has impacted their results, scoring four goals and assisting once in 10 appearances to date.
El Ghazi certainly isn’t a regular starter for them, but he is playing enough to keep him happy, which is all he wants.
Speaking to De Telegraaf, the winger explained what the last season at Aston Villa and Everton did to his mental state, and it’s fair to say it didn’t impact it positively.
He said, relayed by PSV Fans: “I was injured once, and then I was out for a maximum of three months. That is something different mentally. Now, I was out for a year without injury, purely because trainers did not believe in me. That will also play in your head.
“If you then start playing matches again, you are not only physically short, but you also have doubts. You are going to ask yourself: ‘can I still do it?’ Then it is important to train hard and fight in the minutes you get. If you play again and score goals, your qualities will surface again.”
Before being sent to Everton, El Ghazi had played 119 times for Aston Villa, scoring 26 goals and assisting his teammates 16 times.
