Alex Iwobi is now undroppable after Everton midfield conversion
As Everton battled to survive the drop last season, Frank Lampard made the bold decision to play Alex Iwobi as a central midfielder.
For the handful of games he played there alongside Fabian Delph, he looked a natural and helped keep the Toffees above the dreaded dotted line and in the Premier League.
This season, he was perhaps expected to return to being a bench player who would come on out wide lat in games but he has clung onto his starting position in midfield and gone on to another level entirely.
The Nigerian may have been at fault for Brentford’s equaliser as Everton picked up their first point of the new Premier League season but his complete performance was admirable and one that can see his error forgiven.
No one could have predicted Iwobi to still be starting every single week this far into the season now Lampard has had the chance to bring in his own recruits.
Amadou Onana is one that has arrived but he is more likely to start alongside the 26-year-old than replace him in the team which is exactly how it should be.
Performances recently have made Iwobi almost completely undroppable unless he needs a rest, is injured or is suspended.
Idrissa Gana Gueye is close to coming back to Goodison Park if Paris Saint-Germain will release him to join the Toffees but even he should not see Iwobi axed from the side if at all possible.
Lampard may have to tweak his current formation to include three central midfielders if the Senegalese man does arrive so he can be the base for Onana and Iwobi to cause problems in attack.
The last thing the boss should be thinking about doing is dropping one of his best performers of the season so far because of who he can bring in at short notice.