Abdoulaye Doucoure says he ‘doesn’t know if he wants to stay’ at Everton amid doubts over his future

Abdoulaye Doucoure has cast doubt on his Everton future and said he is not sure if he wants to stay at the club.

The midfielder was superb in Everton’s 5-1 hammering of Brighton on Monday, scoring twice and providing energy and dynamism.

Doucoure, 30, has been rejuvenated since Sean Dyche arrived at Goodison Park. He had been disciplined by Frank Lampard before the former manager was sacked, being told to train on his own after a dressing-room row over attitude, but has not put a foot out of line in training under the new regime.

So it came as a surprise to hear him speak so bluntly about what the summer might hold.

Everton have the option of extending his contract by 12 months — something Dyche has intimated they would be prepared to do — but the Mali international did not seem convinced.

Abdoulaye Doucoure, 30, has been rejuvenated since Sean Dyche arrived at Everton

 The Mali international was superb in Everton’s 5-1 hammering of Brighton on Monday

Everton have a number of players whose deals are up at the end of the campaign and all discussions have been put to one side until they know which division they will be playing in. But Doucoure admitted there are a lot of things on his mind.

Asked if he wanted to stay next season, Doucoure said: ‘The club knows my position since a year ago. Now it is becoming very difficult for us to find something well between us — to find an agreement.

‘I’m focused on keeping Everton up and then everything else will come after. To be honest, I don’t know (if I want to stay). I can’t say now, I don’t know.

‘I have done my job, so now it is up to the club to say what they want from me.’

He hasn’t quite done his job. Everton took a big leap towards saving themselves on the south coast but there is still work to do and there can be no relaxing — a big reason the club finds itself in such a delicate predicament is because too many have been inconsistent this season.

Doucoure, who at one stage in January looked as if he was going to be reunited with his former Watford manager Marco Silva at Fulham, hasn’t always shown the levels he displayed at Brighton and it must be hoped he takes this performance on and remembers the platform he has been given.

Doucoure was frozen out under previous boss Frank Lampard and his future looked uncertain

He recently returned to the squad after serving a three-match ban for slapping Harry Kane

He had just served a three-match ban for a red card received when he slapped Harry Kane in the face, and many felt Doucoure owed his team a performance of this nature. He says there was no pressure on him from Dyche but it did feel as if he played with a point to prove.

‘Red cards can happen,’ said Doucoure. ‘Everybody makes mistakes. My job is just to come back and help the team as always. The manager responded brilliantly for me and said I did not need to apologise — he always had faith in me.

‘It was really hard (to watch from the sidelines). It was a stupid red card. I should have avoided it — especially in the moment. But I feel good and feel I can help the team so much. I think it was a good response. I worked hard.

‘Everybody knows I was out of the team but it was not a massive thing. What is more important is the club — how I play, how the manager works me and how the team works me. These are the most important things.

‘The past is the past and now I focus on Everton.’