Andros Townsend: Neal Maupay knows the ‘dark arts’ of football
Neal Maupay has been described by Everton teammate Andros Townsend as a horrible opponent, days after he opened his goalscoring account for the Blues.
Maupay stole the headlines on Sunday afternoon when he scored his first goal for Everton in the 1-0 win over West Ham.
The Frenchman arrived at Goodison Park for £20million in the summer and has looked bright at the spearhead of Frank Lampard’s side.
But his goalscoring ability isn’t the only thing his teammates have picked up on, with Townsend stating Maupay is a master of football’s “dark arts”.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Townsend said: “He is a player that when he’s in your dressing room, you love him. But as an opposition you absolutely hate him.
“He knows how to get under your skin, he knows the dark arts of football and he knows how to get under your skin.”
Fixing the striker issue
With Richarlison departing the club for Tottenham in the summer, Lampard was tasked with finding a striker suitable of filling his boots.
Maupay, so far, is ticking all the boxes.
The 26-year-old Frenchman hasn’t always been the most consistent goalscorer throughout his career, but his relentless workrate and desire to press from the front has helped him slot into Lampard’s system with ease.
With Dominic Calvert-Lewin still struggling with injury and Salomon Rondon simply not up to the task, Maupay has shown he can step up in their absence and provide crucial goals for the side – just as he did on Sunday.
Even when starved of service in the first half against West Ham, Maupay contributed with a number of tackles and duels that helped push Everton up the pitch. As put by Townsend, his “dark arts” will be crucial when it comes to churning out results this season.
Provided he keeps working as hard as he is at the moment – Maupay will quickly become a fan favourite at Goodison.