MAGAYE GUEYE

Magaye Gueye joined Everton in the summer of 2010.

He arrived from French club Strasbourg for an undisclosed fee, penning a five-year deal.

Gueye, a striker, was only 19 when he signed for the Toffees, having forged a good reputation in France’s second tier.

His first full season as a professional was 2009/10 and he began it in stylish fashion, scoring in his side’s first six games.

Injury then struck when first groin and then knee problems curtailed his progress.

But Everton officials kept a close eye on him and the Club swooped to sign their man in June 2010.

He initially broke through from Strasbourg’s youth ranks into the first team in November 2008, having been in their academy from the age of 12 and is no stranger to the France national setup, featuring at Under-16, Under-19 and Under-21 level.

In fact, he faced off against Dan Gosling when England Under-19s met France in the European Championships last summer. Gueye scored his side’s goal in a 3-1 defeat.

The 5ft 10in striker battled back from his knee injury, scoring in the final game of the season as his side were relegated to the French third tier.

He featured heavily for the Everton first team during pre-season and scored his first goal in a Blue shirt in the 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar.

Gueye’s first three appearances for the first team came in domestic cup competitions with the Frenchman involved in Carling Cup games against Huddersfield and Brentford and the 5-1 rout of Scunthorpe in the FA Cup.

The attacker suffered a hamstring injury but returned to make his Premier League debut in April 2011, replacing Seamus Coleman as the Blues drew 2-2 with Aston Villa.

He ended up with eight appearances in all competitions.

Gueye continued his development during the 2011/12 campaign, making eight starts and 16 substitute appearances for the first team.

He scored his first senior goal in the 4-0 Goodison win over Sunderland on 8 April, 2012.

Despite his involvement with the French youth teams, Gueye was selected to represent Senegal at the Olympic Games - the winger being eligible through his parents.

He helped the African nation reach the quarter-finals of the men’s football competition before joining up with the Everton first team during pre-season.