Position: MidfielderNationality: Dutch
Royston Drenthe joined Everton on loan from Real Madrid in 2011 as he was having problems off the pitch in Spain. After initially impressing Drenthe soon got himself into various disciplinary problems off the pitch and was left out of the Everton team for the rest of the 2011/12 season.
Did You Know? Drenthe stayed in the house of former Liverpool player Ryan Babel whilst he was on loan to Everton!
On 31 August 2011, Drenthe joined Everton on a season-long loan deal from Real Madrid. He made his Premier League debut as a second-half substitute in the 2–2 home draw against Aston Villa, on 10 September.
Again from the bench, against Wigan Athletic, he scored in the 97th minute to round off a 3–1 home victory.
Drenthe made his first start for Everton on 21 September 2011, in a Football League Cup game against West Bromwich Albion, assisting the winning goal for Phil Neville in the 13th minute of extra time (2–1 home win).
On his full league debut, against Fulham on 23 October, he scored his second Premier League goal for Everton, after under three minutes of the game starting.
It was from 25 yards out, and has been praised by pundits. Drenthe was sent off for two yellow cards in a match against Chelsea on 26 October 2011.
In March, Drenthe was given a leave of absence on compassionate grounds and upon returning he reported late for training. This resulted in manager David Moyes omitting the player from Everton's FA Cup semi-final squad and he was also told to stay away from the club.
He left Everton at the end of the 2011-12 Premier League season.
