Nigerian striker, Aiyegbeni Yakubu is currently not having the best of times at English club Everton but a former star of the English Premier League (EPL) side, Graeme Sharp believes ‘The Yak' still has a future at the club.

A few years ago, on the last day of the 2007-08 season, Yakubu scored twice in Everton's 3-1 win over Newcastle United to help Everton clinch fifth place and a place in Europe.

It was his first season with the club following his £11.25 signing from Middlesbrough and Yakubu appeared well on the way to becoming an Everton legend as he ended the campaign with 21 goals in all competitions. In the process he became the first Everton player to score at least 20 goals in a season since 1993.

Yakubu's form has however dipped but Sharp maintains it's not too late for the Nigerian to resurrect his once promising career.

"It's plain to see from the start of the season, and how results have stuttered along, that Everton are lacking a cutting edge in the final third," he told the Liverpool Echo.

"Then you've got a natural goal scorer like Yak who hasn't played yet. He is a fantastic asset to have and you can't afford to write him off yet. I would have been disappointed to see him leave Everton this summer. I can genuinely still see a place for him in this side and I can still see him having an impact on this season.

"He's the type of player who can score scrappy goals. With Louis Saha liking to drop deep and join up play, there's room for someone who can be a real predator in the box."

Fitness concerns

Despite his admiration for Yakubu, Sharp acknowledges that the player has to work harder to get match-fit, and should have been able to feature by now especially as other Everton players who featured at the World Cup, most notably Dutchman John Heitinga, have began playing.

"It's disappointing that he's still not fully fit," said Sharp. "But you've got to think about how Everton would have gone about finding a replacement. It takes a lot of money to get a goal scorer these days. Everyone wants one.

"When you've got one on your books maybe it's better to sit tight and show some faith in him. Hopefully the boy has still got the hunger to get in great shape and get back in action."

Injury

Sharp is however quick to emphasise the devastating impact of the Achilles tendon tear Yakubu suffered in November 2008 at White Hart Lane.

"It was a severe career threatening injury, make no mistake. It would be enough to finish some players off entirely and the frustrating thing is that Yak seemed to have bounced back. He even scored in his comeback game against Hull.

"But David Moyes was first to say that we wouldn't see the best of the Yak for a while, maybe even 12 months after that injury. He has got plenty to offer and maybe it's just a case of nursing him back into the fold." Pull quote: I can genuinely still see a place for him in this side and I can still see him having an impact on this season