Luke Garbutt could be on his way out of Everton this summer after falling down the pecking order in recent years. His last appearance came against Sunderland on May 9, 2015. Due to a lack of playing time at Goodison Park in the year that followed, the 26-year-old has been loaned out to a variety of clubs without ever being given a reprieve in the first-team.
Since rising through the youth ranks to the fringes of Everton’s senior squad, Garbutt has made 12 appearances in all competitions. He isn’t expected to make another, however, and may be plying his trade with a new club on a permanent basis this summer. He was on loan at Oxford United last season and manager Karl Robinson is interested in bringing him back.
Since joining Everton from Leeds United in 2009, the former England u21 international has been loaned out to Cheltenham Town (September 29, 2011 – May 31, 2012), Colchester United (September 13, 2013 – January 28, 2014), Fulham (July 25, 2015 – May 31, 2016), Wigan Athletic (August 16, 2016 – January 2, 2017) and Oxford (July 2, 2018 – May 31, 2019).
With Lucas Digne and Leighton Baines ahead of him in the left-back pecking order, it’s clear that Garbutt doesn’t have a future at Everton. His contract is up in 2020, but the Toffees might be keen to offload him sooner if they can be compensated.