Rafa Benitez plans to play Tyler Onyango more, could include him against Wolves
Everton were battered 5-2 by Watford on Saturday in front of their home supporters, and it could force Rafa Benitez to make some changes.
According to The Athletic, the Toffees manager is increasingly minded to involve Tyler Onyango to help deputise for the injured Abdoulaye Doucoure.
The highly-rated 18-year-old midfielder has been impressing coaches in training, and is in with a chance of making the matchday squad for next Monday’s game at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Needed
Everton fell apart with the injured Doucoure missing against the Hornets, and things would not have gotten that worse had the Frenchman been on the pitch.
He is set to be out for almost a couple of months after a foot injury he sustained against West Ham United last weekend, and while that is bad news, it could be music to Onyango’s ears.
Everton conceded possession so cheaply far too frequently against Watford, but Abdoulaye would have helped stop that, and there is belief the teenager is capable of doing a similar job too.
Onyango can operate in a box-to-box role, and while he just recently returned from a six-month injury layoff, he could be about to force his way into the Toffees first-team.
Everton face Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Brentford, Liverpool, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Leicester City next after their Wolves trip, and they definitely need to be solid in the middle of the park.
However, whether Onyango can be the answer with Doucoure out remains to be seen – it will certainly be throwing a young man into a pressure cooker.
Let’s hope he can handle it.
In other Everton news, BBC cameras spotted Duncan Ferguson’s reaction to Watford’s fifth goal v Toffees.
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