Ruben Vinagre has expressed his sadness at not being able to contribute more during his Everton loan spell.
The Portuguese defender arrived from Sporting CP on loan in the summer as part of Frank Lampard's attempts to bolster their defensive ranks for the upcoming campaign.
However, he has mustered just 24 minutes of Premier League football for the Blues with two starts in the Carabao Cup.
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Vinagre failed to usurp Vitalii Mykolenko from the full-back spot despite Everton's struggles and finds himself moving on pastures new after struggling to make his mark at Goodison Park. Lampard was replaced by Sean Dyche in January but his season was all but over when he suffered an Achilles problem.
In a post on Instagram, the 24-year-old said: "Thank you Evertonians! It has been a pleasure wearing this shirt for the past season! I’m sad for not having the opportunity to contribute more, but I’ve done everything I was allowed to. I wish our history would’ve been different!
"I’m really glad that we were able to maintain this big club in the Premier League, because you deserve it and so much more!
"I have no doubt in my mind that Everton will go back to the place that it deserves, it’s a great club and full of history!
"Thank you all, wish you all the best."
It has been claimed that there is an option to buy for the Blues as part of the original deal to bring him to Merseyside. No such clause is set to be triggered, and his contract in Lisbon still has three years remaining.
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