Everton's Demarai Gray could go on to be 'the bargain buy of the season', according to ex-Toffees striker Gary Lineker. 

The lowdown

Everton paid just £1.7million to sign Gray, the former Leicester City winger, from Bayer Leverkusen back in July.

Gray's goal in Monday night's 3-1 win over Burnley was his third in four matches this season, continuing his flying start to life on Merseyside.

Only two Premier League players - Michail Antonio and Bruno Fernandes - have scored more goals so far (via BBC Sport).

According to WhoScored, Gray has been Everton's second-best player up to now, his average rating of 7.41/10 bettered only by Dominic Calvert-Lewin (7.68).

The latest

Lineker, who scored 35 goals in 45 appearances for Everton, took to Twitter on Monday night to say that he's 'really pleased' for Gray.

He's 'always had bags of potential' and 'if he carries on like this', he could prove to be the shrewdest acquisition of the summer window.

The verdict

The signing of Gray could easily have been questioned. This is a player who only really showed flashes at Leicester and they lost faith in him as a result, with Leverkusen seemingly happy to give up on him too after only a short time.

But Benitez has backed himself to draw consistency from the Englishman, who's now played 137 Premier League games, and his direct style of play makes him a perfect fit for Rafa's Everton side, as exemplified by his goal against the Clarets.

It's early days, of course, but Gray will hard to beat for that 'bargain of the season' mantle.

In other news, fans have warned the club against this move.