I don't see how it's too late at all. Think people are being a bit unfair in regards to his supposed chances he's had and a bit unrealistic in terms of what we are going to do in the summer. We are not going to sell 15 fringe players and sign 6 or 7 World class midfield players that totally transform our squad. That is a pipe dream.
As regards his chances, I really don't think 2 League Cup games with rotated sides counts as chances, not when you consider the sheer volume of games people have played and failed in over the same time frame.
As for his loans, he went to Forrest and did well prior to the manager being replaced for a defensive manager who refused to use him in the same way. Some will point to this as a stick to beat him with "Not enough effort" etc, but that's not always the case. Barkleys 1st loan to Leeds wasn't a good 1 either. The loans are a way of exposing them to different pressures and experiences, not to say if they don't turn into Messi at League 1 or Championship levels that they are done at 19.
He scored 10 goals from midfield in his 1st season in the championship btw, not to be sniffed at.
After Forrest, he then had another relatively successful loan to Sheffield United. That's not to say he was a star player or anything outrageous, but he contributed, he played for the team, in several unfamiliar positions, and scored 2 goals, at least 1 of which was an important match winning headed goal, on the way to seeing them promoted automatically from an unlikely position after a fine end of season run of form. The manager, players and fans all loved him, so I don't see this as being the failure that others seem to. He was a 20 year old lad joining a hard working promotion chasing side in the championship, a tough league, on loan. We have signed players on loan who have had little or no effect, some haven't even played, It's not an easy task to be that guy coming in to an established set up.
The Derby loan, to my mind, is the only 1 I would say was a failure. But as we have seen, sometimes you fit, sometimes you don't. This goes for some of the best players in Europe, who have struggled at 1 side only to flourish at another. But some are confident enough to say that it proves, at 21, that your career path is now written for you? Try telling Jamie Vardy that.
The important thing for me, is he picked himself up, dusted himself off, and went back out on loan again, to a struggling side in danger of relegation, and has obviously had a positive impact, as the side have climbed away from danger, with a decent run of form. Yesterday's result is the pinnacle so far. With 2 games left, they are still in with a great chance of surviving even after a 12 point deduction. If they manage that, it will be some achievement.
He has had 4 loans now, all in the championship, and 3 of them have been or are currently considered something of a success. The lad is still only 22 and only has 3 starts at Everton. 1 was a solid performance, a 4-0 vs Norwich, in which he assisted James Mccarthy. 2 were experimental rotational line ups in the league Cup. If you think that is enough to write him off, I think you are being extremely harsh.
Going forward, Everton need a complete overhaul of the midfield and the squad in general. The 1st thing we should be trying to do is to get rid of the expensive failures, players who have had chance after chance after chance, and continue to prove that they are either unable, or unwilling to put in the effort or the performances that are required and are quite literally strangling us with the money they are leaching from the club on a weekly basis.
Young, talented, homegrown players who are on much less money than the top earners, who, with the right coaching and environment, could still play a part, should be way down on this list of priorities to sell or release.
I really hope that Ancelotti gives him a chance and allows him his last year on his contract to prove once and for all what he can do.