Everton have confirmed the release of Francis Okoronkwo following his injury-plagued loan spell at Doncaster Rovers. The 21-year-old forward had joined the club in January but was unable to make a significant impact due to injuries. He had shown early promise, registering a goal and an assist across his first three league outings, but succumbed to an injury that ended his season prematurely. Okoronkwo had been loaned out on three separate occasions, including spells at Salford City and Lincoln City. He had been cut loose alongside fellow youngsters Jacob Beaumont-Clark, Kingsford Boakye, Roman Dixon, Bradley Moonan, Tyler Onyango, Reece Welch, Goodness Gospel-Eze, Louis Poland, Charlie Stewart, and Kean Wren. Okoronkwo had been informed he would not be getting a new contract at Everton. In January, after making his Doncaster debut in a 3-2 FA Cup defeat to Southampton, he had told The Yorkshire Post: 'When I first became a pro, if it wasn't for injuries, I'd have been out [on loan] even earlier. The sooner you get into men's football, the better. Obviously, it's got to make sense. You can't just be going to any team. But if it makes sense, 100 per cent get yourself out. You have a long career, it's a slow process. Most people aren't gunning from the start and that's the same with me, it's been a slower process than I would have liked, but I'm enjoying it every step of the way.'