While Everton have endured a turbulent few months off the field, with the club receiving a six-point deduction, manager Sean Dyche has done a great job this season, giving the Toffees a fighting chance of retaining their Premier League status once again.

Dyche's side currently sit in 16th place, four points clear of the drop one with a game in hand. However, that could change in the coming weeks, with the club set to have a hearing next week over their alleged PSR breach which could result in yet another points deduction.

The financial problems behind the scenes at Goodison Park have prevented Dyche from bringing in any major signings, with the club still trying to cut losses as and where they can.

However, the club are still paying one player within the current first-team squad a hefty weekly wage despite his lack of contribution so far in the Premier League this season.

Michael Keane's stats for Everton

Since his £30m move from Burnley back in 2017, defender Michael Keane has gradually fallen further down the pecking order, with the now 31-year-old looking past his best.

However, the former Manchester United defender was a good addition at the time, albeit for a huge amount of money.

Keane impressed in his first season at Goodison, starting 30 times throughout the campaign, helping the Toffees secure an eighth-place finish in the Premier League.

The defender remained a crucial part of the Toffees' backline for the 2018/2019 campaign, with Keane making 33 appearances in the top flight and looking to be worth every penny of his £30m pricetag.

His place as a starting centre-back would remain until the 2022/23 season, with the defender having to settle for less game time after the arrival of James Tarkowski, with Keane only featuring 12 times in the Premier League last season.

Despite his lack of match action, the defender would score a screamer in the 1-1 draw against Tottenham at Goodison Park, a goal that would clinch a vital point in the Toffees' bid for survival.

His minutes have decreased further this campaign, with the 31-year-old only making seven appearances in England's top flight and featuring for just 402 minutes under Dyche.

How much Michael Keane earns at Everton

The "liability", as once labelled by pundit Trevor Sinclair on talkSPORT's breakfast show in April 2022, currently earns £80k-per-week at Goodison – a ridiculous amount of money for a player given his game time this season.

His current weekly wage is nearly four times more than youngster Jarrad Branthwaite, with the 20-year-old earning just £15k-per-week.

Vitaliy Mykolenko

£58k-p/w

Beto

£50k-p/w

James Garner

£30k-p/w

Dwight McNeil

£25k-p/w

Jarrad Branthwaite

£15k-p/w

Branthwaite, who's just received his first senior England call-up, certainly deserves a new contract at the club to reflect his importance to the side, with the former Carlisle youngster making 25 appearances – subsequently being subject to interest from Manchester United.

The club should look to offload Keane this summer, with the defender having one year left on his current contract at Goodison. His lack of game time so far this campaign is evidence that Dyche favours the likes of Branthwaite and Tarkowski over the 6 foot 3 defender, with Keane looking past his best in recent times.

The club should look to use the money from any sale and wages offloaded in Keane's potential transfer and put it towards tying Branthwaite down to a long-term deal this summer, to help fend off interest from Erik ten Hag's side or any other potential interested parties.