Everton talent Stanley Mills could be secret weapon for Sean Dyche v Aston Villa
Everton will face Aston Villa in their next Premier League game on Saturday (25 February) at Goodison Park and Michael Ball has suggested that young talent Stanley Mills should be given a chance.
Writing his column for Liverpool Echo, Ball has suggested that the youngster will be an “unknown quantity” for Villa, and his performances at Everton’s reserve levels have been outstanding.
The BBC pundit suggests that if the Toffees do not get Dominic Calvert-Lewin back for this game, the club should take the risk and use Mills in some capacity.
“I saw Stanley Mills on Friday and he scored an early goal for the Under-21s against Tottenham Hotspur at Southport – a game Sean Dyche said he was going to watch – and since Anthony Gordon has gone, we haven’t got a player other than Gray who can run with the ball,” wrote Ball for Liverpool Echo.
“I understand it’s only reserve team football but Mills has shown he can do that and there’s not much more he can do having scored nine times in 15 outings this season.
“Surely the unknown quantity of Mills must be an option that can ask questions of the opposition because they won’t know much about him. He can dribble with the ball and take full-backs on but maybe there’s an option there, even if he needs to knock on the manager’s door and ask what more does he need to be doing to get into the team.”
Huge game
Everton have started strongly under Dyche, having picked up two wins in a row at Goodison Park.
The away form has been horrendous for the Toffees, and they have to rely on their home form for survival this season.
Against Leeds United, Dyche was without enough attacking options on the bench. With Calvert-Lewin currently out with fitness issues, Dyche has limited options at his disposal.
The likes of Neal Maupay and Ellis Simms are other options for the Toffees boss, but Mills can be given a chance. The 19-year-old is a highly-rated young talent who has made two cup appearances this season for the Toffees already.
He is yet to play in the Premier League but the youngster is showing a lot of promise. He has scored nine times in 15 games this season and could be a long-term natural replacement for Anthony Gordon.
Everton could fancy beating Villa. They are heading into the game on the back of three successive defeats, and the Toffees should look to pick up all three points on home turf.