Everton players left absolutely stunned after what Micheal Keane has done in pre-season training

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Everton’s pre-season tour has not been quite as glamorous as recent years, but given their financial troubles, that’s to be expected.

After all, trips to Florida are now a thing of the past, with no owner present to fund them.

Instead, this summer saw the Toffees make the short journey over to Ireland to honour Seamus Coleman, playing Sligo Rovers before returning to Finch Farm to finish off their preparation at home.

Fixtures against the likes of Salford City, Coventry City and Preston North End are expected before a clash with AS Roma at Goodison Park finishes things off.

Stuck in miserable England, the players would be forgiven for being somewhat downbeat, but one moment that occurred in training, revealed just yesterday, will certainly have lifted their spirits.

Michael Keane scores screamer in pre-season Everton training

Michael Keane is a polarising figure on Merseyside, with many wondering how the former Burnley man remains at Goodison Park despite his lack of action.

Having been regarded as a liability when he used to start, dropping down the pecking order, he has been relegated to rare appearances when Sean Dyche is absolutely desperate.

And yet, he sticks around, likely because few would be willing to pay anything of note for him, especially not alongside his £80k-a-week wages.

However, his longevity with the Toffees has almost made him into something of a cult hero-type figure, with fans often making jokes at his expense.

One such long-running gag is the suggestion that Keane should have been a striker.

Well, taking a look at this latest video published by Everton’s official X account, and it’s getting harder to poke fun at that notion.

He found the net from some distance yesterday, unleashing a right-footed scorcher that soared into the top corner and left his fellow players stunned, hands on heads in disbelief.

Could Michael Keane really play as a striker for Everton?

Dyche did play Michael Keane as a striker once, subbing him on for a brief stint just last season, but there is surely no way that he could genuinely feature in that role.

After all, his lack of movement has killed him plenty of times at the back, so it is unlikely he would thrive at the other end of the pitch, where even quicker reactions are needed.

However, few can fault his ability to strike a ball, and he has showcased his goalscoring prowess with numerous neat finishes throughout his career.

With a Premier League goal tally of 13, which marks impressive figures for a centre-back, his thunderbolt against Tottenham Hotspur in 2023 springs to mind as an outstanding example.

But poking home with his weaker foot against Crystal Palace the year prior, kickstarting their comeback to avoid relegation, arguably marked a more important goal, and a true poachers finish.

He has a goal catalogue that boasts all different types of strikes. Perhaps this joke is actually not so funny anymore, because of how close to reality it is becoming.