Everton loanee Niels Nkounkou is set to return to Merseyside after Standard Liege ended their campaign in disappointment at the weekend. The left-back was sent for a temporary spell with the Belgian club in the summer despite the Blues not signing a back-up in that area of the pitch.
Across his time with the club, the defender made 23 Jupiler Pro League appearances primarily in his natural position - although some games saw him step up into left midfield. Of those, the 21-year-old completed the 90 minutes on 13 occasions.
However, the form of Standard Liege throughout the campaign faltered and they could not force their way into the play-offs at the end of the Belgian term. They finished 14th place in the league, 15 points behind an eight-place finish that would have seen them participate in the post-season matches, after losing 3-0 to STVV on Sunday.
