Everton forward Moise Kean is said to have been completely unaware of the fact that he was breaking lockdown rules when he hosted a party in April, and was desperate to apologise about the situation - even attempting to call boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the UK - like many countries around the world - has been in lockdown since March, but this didn't stop Kean hosting what was described as a 'raunchy' party at the time.
As a result, the Toffees later released a statement, saying that they were 'appalled' by the youngster's actions.
However, The Athletic now report that the 20-year-old genuinely didn't understand what the lockdown measures were, and believed that he was only required to stay at home. This was revealed in a phone call with director of football Marcel Brands after the incident. Brands made it clear that his actions were not acceptable as a member of Everton Football Club, or simply as an ordinary citizen.
The Athletic further allude to the initial reports regarding Kean's actions, stating that while it was believed the Italian invited models over to his apartment, which wasn't the case. Instead, everyone at his apartment that evening was either a friend of Kean's, or friends of friends. And while he did eventually agree to the party, he was not the one to come up with the idea.
A source close to Kean said: “The fact he filmed it and posted it on Snapchat shows he didn’t realise he was breaching the rules. Obviously he should have been aware, but he wasn’t."
Furthermore, once the former Juventus striker had been made aware of his actions, he apologised 'profusely', and even asked to call Carlo Ancelotti so that he could say sorry to him as well. A source close to Everton said: “Because of his big, powerful physique, it’s easy to think Moise is grown up. He probably looks older than he is. But his mind is still that of a 20-year-old.
"He’s a young man who still wants to please his mum and repay the sacrifices she made for him. Of course, what Moise did was wrong - there’s no denying that and he accepts it, apologised and has been punished for it - but it’s not just footballers who have found it tough to abide by the lockdown rules.“
The Athletic note that Kean had actually been growing in confidence prior to football's enforced break, with the Italian putting in good performances in training. Off the field, Kean is also learning from the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Mason Holgate in order to become a better professional.
Kean's heart is 'in the right place', and he remains determined and 'desperate' to showcase his talents to the Everton faithful.
Source : 90min