CSKA Moscow midfielder Nikola Vlasic has admitted his inexperience made it difficult for him to succeed at Everton.
Vlasic joined the Blues in a £9.72m deal from Hajduk Split in 2017 as part of a major rebuild by the Toffees that summer.
Unlike most of the signings that summer, the young Croatian was seen as one for the future, having impressed against Everton in two Europa League qualifying games earlier in the year.
However, his time on Merseyside proved to be a disappointing one, with him managing just two goals and one assist in 19 games that season.
He’s thrived with them ever since, establishing himself as one of their key players and racking up 13 goals and 20 assists in 120 games so far.
Despite that, he remains relatively unknown, and he believes that is down to his unsuccessful year with Everton.
“I was at Everton for a year, and it was difficult because of my youth,” he told Marca.
“In England, if you’re only worth 10 million pounds, as I was, it’s not much of a problem to leave you on the bench.
“I needed opportunities… and CSKA in the Russian league came up.”
