AC Milan confirms Deulofeu loan

AC Milan has offered Everton midfielder Gerard Deulofeu a temporary first-team lifeline, signing the Spaniard to a short-term loan until June.

The Serie A side's official television channel revealed the news Friday, adding that the loan does not include a buy-back option.

With just 11 appearances for the Toffees and new manager Ronald Koeman this campaign, Deulofeu, 22, struggled to find first-team minutes in his third year with the club.

After emerging from Barcelona's famed La Masia academy in 2011, Deulofeu made a scant two appearances for the senior side before spending the 2013-14 season on loan at Goodison Park.

That temporary switch was followed by another, with the crafty dribbler spending the next campaign on loan with Sevilla before Everton tabled a £4.2-million bid for the player.

More popular under Roberto Martinez with the Merseysiders than with Koeman, Deulofeu failed to make an impression this season.

Deulofeu now joins Vincenzo Montella's burgeoning squad littered with young players. I Rossoneri currently sit fifth, four points adrift of Napoli and a Champions League spot ahead of Saturday's visit from Maurizio Sarri's high-scoring lot.

With French winger M'Baye Niang failing to live up to expectations at the San Siro, Montella will likely slot Deulofeu into an left-sided attacking position, with Giacomo Bonaventura dropping deeper and to the left of teen sensation Manuel Locatelli.