Everton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin impressed for his team in their 1-0 win against Newcastle United at Goodison Park on Monday night before being taken off shortly into the second half because of a dead leg, and the controversial Frenchman has shown that he perhaps does have a long-term role to play for them.

The 28-year-old made a hugely impressive start to his career with the Merseyside outfit in the first five months of 2017 having joined from Manchester United, but the former Red Devil has largely failed to replicate those performances this term, and has come under huge criticism from the Goodison faithful on Twitter for his performances and attitude previously.

However, he has been a regular starter in the middle of the park under Sam Allardyce in recent weeks following a spell on the substitutes' bench, and he showed glimpses that he is beginning to get back to his best form in the opening 45 minutes against the Magpies – something that clearly didn't go unnoticed by the fans who were quick to praise him after he posted on Twitter following the final whistle.

The France international had 55 touches in the 51 minutes he was on the field, and as well as showing his quality on the ball with a passing accuracy of just over 90%, he also played two accurate long balls having often been picked out on playing short, sideways passes at times this term.

Schneiderlin stats vs Newcastle

Schneiderlin also impressed from a defensive point of view, making four interceptions to help keep Rafa Benitez's in-form side, who had won four successive Premier League matches, at bay.

While he may not have been too popular with his own supporters this season and looked increasingly likely to leave the club this summer, the 28-year-old's displays in recent weeks suggest that he is fighting to prove that he has big part to play for them in the future.