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The news for Kevin Mirallas just goes from bad to worse.
After being relegated to training with the youth team at Olympiakos a couple of weeks ago, the Greek club has now gone even further and terminated the loan from Everton with immediate effect, returning the forward to Finch Farm.
As is being reported by Belgian football reporter Kristof Terreur of HLN, Mirallas’ disastrous season is rapidly worsening and this latest move could put his spot in Roberto Martinez’ Belgium squad for the 2018 World Cup at risk.
Return to sender. Kevin Mirallas has had his loan deal at Olympiakos terminated after some poor performances. He returns to Everton. #efc pic.twitter.com/S52M2SwODC
— Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland) May 4, 2018
Mirallas’ return to Olympiakos in January was widely heralded by the Greek side’s supporters as a homecoming, but following some insipid performances, the supporters and management of the club were quick to turn against him as he leaves Piraeus having made 15 appearances, scoring twice with two assists. His time in Greece was more notorious for acrimony when he apparently incited rival fans with lewd gestures after rioting caused a game against PAOK to be abandoned.
His performances at Everton were not much better earlier in the season, as the Toffees stumbled from elimination in the Europa League to sliding down the Premier League table. Mirallas was also involved in a training ground walkout along with Morgan Schneiderlin, and that further soured his relationship with the Blues.
Mirallas had previously spent two seasons with Olympiakos but the Greek side showed no intent of making his loan deal permanent in his current return. The Belgian’s contract with Everton extends until the end of the 2019-20 season, but now it’s quite unlikely he’ll ever play for the Blues, with a return to Belgium in the summer most likely.
Standard Liege, where he started his career many years ago as a youth player, are the only club to show interest in the player’s services despite him making Roberto Martinez’s 28-man Belgium squad for the last international break. However the 30-year-old will very likely be one of the first to be culled when the final 23 names are released for the summer international showcase to be held in Russia.