23 November 2023 , 16:28
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Former Everton striker Oumar Niasse has joined seventh-tier Macclesfield on a short-term deal.
Niasse, 33, has been without a club since leaving Morecambe at the end of last season following their relegation to League Two. During his time at the Shrimps, he scored one goal in 10 games.
Now, the ex-Hull hotshot has found himself a new home in the form of non-league Macclesfield, who ply their trade in the Northern Premier League. The Silkmen currently sit fourth in the table, 12 points behind leaders Ratcliffe after winning nine of their 17 league matches so far.
Subject to league approval, Niasse could make his Macclesfield debut against fifth-place Guiseley at The Leasing.com Stadium on Saturday. The Silkmen were expelled from the National League in 2020 after being wound up by the High Court and the phoenix club have been working their way up the non-league pyramid since.
They won the North West Counties Football League Premier Division in their first season, before romping to the Northern Premier League Division One West title last term. However, the 2023/24 campaign has been trickier. After four defeats in five matches and exiting the FA Cup against Alfreton, Macclesfield sacked manager Mark Duffy.
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Alex Bruce, son of Manchester United icon Steve Bruce, was appointed as their new boss at the end of October as Macclesfield look to climb the table. The Silkmen are unbeaten in six games under Bruce and romped to a 6-0 victory over Atherton Collieries on Tuesday, with John Rooney, brother of Wayne Rooney, among the scorers.
As for Niasse, the move signifies his fall from grace after Everton forked out £13.5million to sign him from Lokomotiv Moscow in February 2016. Later that month, Niasse made his debut against Bournemouth but he never really got going on Merseyside. In the summer, Niasse was told by then-manager Ronald Koeman to search for another club, before being demoted down to the club's Under 23s.
Oumar Niasse has signed for non-league Macclesfield (Getty Images)Niasse secured himself a move to Hull in January 2017 for the remainder of the season with a £10m option inserted. The Senegalese frontman scored five times in 17 appearances while on loan at the Tigers, though he was unable to help them stay in the Premier League.
After Hull opted not to exercise the permanent option in Niasse's loan deal, he returned to Everton and was handed a chance to impress at the start of the 2017/18 season. He netted a modest nine goals in 25 appearances as the Toffees finished eighth that campaign.
Following another loan spell, this time at Cardiff, Niasse was released by Everton in the summer of 2020. He has since played for Huddersfield, Burton and Morecambe. During his career, Niasse has scored 52 senior goals in 169 appearances, while also representing Senegal at international level.