Brentford boss Thomas Frank believes Neal Maupay is now looking ‘sharper’ having left Everton for a return to West London.

Neal Maupay is now improving his game at Brentford having left Everton on transfer deadline day.

That is the verdict of Brentford boss Thomas Frank after seeing Maupay score for the Bees on Saturday.

Maupay failing to score from an open goal against Chelsea last weekend left many feeling that the Frenchman would never score again.

The goal did arrive on Saturday though as Maupay opened the scoring in a 3-2 win over West Ham United, providing a major source of relief.

Thomas Frank hails Everton loanee Neal Maupay

Maupay had a truly dismal year at Everton having joined for around £15million from Brighton and Hove Albion in 2022.

The 27-year-old completely flopped at Goodison Park, managing just one goal in 29 games across all competitions.

Everton decided to let Maupay leave on deadline, paving the way for a loan return to former club Brentford.

Maupay enjoyed arguably the best period of his career with Brentford, earning himself a 2019 move to Brighton as a result.

Now back with the Bees, Maupay is off the mark and now earning praise from boss Frank.

The Dane told BB Sport that he ‘can’t stop smiling’ after seeing Maupay score on Saturday.

Frank added that he now thinks Maupay looks ‘sharper’ after leaving Everton, getting back to his former self.

“I can’t stop smiling for him. I’m so happy he scored and that we won,” said Frank. “He has worked so hard to come back to this level. Over the last three weeks, he’s starting to get back to the Neal that I know. He looks sharper,” he added.

Maupay unlikely to have any kind of Everton future

Brentford have the option to make Maupay’s move permanent in 2024 and Frank may well be tempted to pull the trigger.

Even if Brentford decide not to bring Maupay back full-time, we can’t see him having a future at Everton.

The Toffees invested in two new strikers over the summer as Portuguese forward Beto and Youssef Chermiti came in.

Maupay made no impact at Everton and it’s reasonable to suggest that his Toffees career is over no matter how his season goes.