Young players can be infuriating at times, then on occasions, dazzling. Victor Anichebe has provided Evertonians with plenty to saviour and relish over the past few years, particularly important goals in the UEFA Cup. However, it has become blatantly observable, in my opinion, that the Nigerian is not up to the task.

I’ve harboured this thought for a while now and today has verified my assumption. To some, Anichebe “works hard”, has “brute strength” and can, from time to time, be a “threat from the bench”, but sadly the Toffees’ number twenty-eight is not good enough for where we want to be, the top.

His touch is absolutely atrocious, finishing pitiful and his overall game lacking. Anichebe distinctly lacks the core attributes needed to be a top Premier League player, let alone an average one.

Others may find this harsh but one Premier League goal all season is shockingly bad, even if starting appearances have proved infrequent. Admittedly, he has proved a threat against the lesser sides in the UEFA Cup and his goals were vital but he’s simply not up to it.

His first touch is possibly even worse than Johnson’s, and his awareness is awful. His fitness has proved abysmal, for a boy of 19, I find it embarrassing.

“He needs time” appears to be the well worn response. Why, because he is the “local lad”? Well how long do you give him? Six months, a year, eighteen months? We simply can’t afford to keep blooding him to ‘give him time’, we need to get some real quality in, and immediately at that.

Loaning him to a Championship side, who he’d start for regularly next season will only mask the key issue, Victor Anichebe will simply never reach the standard Everton Football Club demand and require.

Brand me harsh, but at times he has proved lazy. He is lethargic and without an evident scathing attack, he doesn’t look all that interested to me. I want players who are going to die for the cause, have pride in the Royal Blue shirt we care so deeply about.

I think, and have done for a while, that he’s a poor player. Moyes, evidently, needs to look at bringing in at least two forwards in the close season, mainly as we desperately need someone to place pressure on Yakubu, but also because you don’t know what you’re going to get from Vaughan in terms of fitness. It would be atrocious if, come next season, we only have Anichebe as one of the only two forwards fit in the squad.

I can only thank Anichebe for the happier times he has provided me with, his goal and overall performance in Nurnberg, in particular. But I want Everton to be ruthless, we have finished 5^th on merit, but it is an imperative that we improve, show ambition. The sooner we awaken to the reality that the “local lad strong striker“ isn’t good enough, the better because this is as good as it gets for Victor Anichebe.