Everton transfer mistake shown as Ashley Young included in worst Premier League signing XI
Everton and Sean Dyche were unable to make too many high-profile additions to their side this summer, but they did complete some astute business.
While Jack Harrison has started strongly having recovered from injury and Beto has shown some bright flashes in his cameo appearances, one player who has struggled to make too much of a positive impact on Merseyside has been Ashley Young.
The former Manchester United winger has started all eight of the Toffees’ opening Premier League matches but has struggled to really find his feet in Dyche’s side and his disappointing start to the season has seen him included in WhoScored.com’s worst summer signing XI (13 October).
Young’s average rating for the season so far sits at a low 6.29 and is the second lowest rating in the entire squad, with only Max Aaron’s scoring lower having made the switch to Bournemouth. The 38-year-old’s low rating is partially due to his dreadful performances against both Aston Villa (5.07) and Luton Town (5.28).
So far this season, the former England international has featured on both sides of defence, deputising at left-back in Vitaly Mykolenko’s absence early in the campaign before switching to right-back while Seamus Coleman remains out with injury.
But he has failed to score or assist once, having only been accurate with 28 per cent of his attempted crosses and his eight chances that have been created have only carried an expected assists rate of 0.62 which is worry considering the size of the Toffees’ strike options [Fotmob].
In defence, Young hasn’t proven to be much better, he has already made two errors which have led to goals, both coming in those aforementioned defeats to Luton and Aston Villa which is a huge drop from the zero errors he made last year at Villa Park.
The Toffees in general have leaked goals so it is hard to be too critical of the defender for only keeping one clean sheet, but he is currently being dribbled past once per game and has picked up three yellow cards, meaning he is closing in on a suspension.
While few would have expected that a 38-year-old signing would set Goodison Park alight, Everton may need to consider starting somebody else at right-back, especially against quick opposition wingers and given Nathan Patterson is waiting in the wings Dyche could turn to the former Rangers ace.
So far the 21-year-old has been more solid defensively than Young and has only created three fewer chances than the former United man, despite starting half as many games. Considering Liverpool will be without Andy Robertson for the Merseyside derby, Patterson would surely carry more of an attacking threat at Anfield.
In other Everton news, Isaac Price has claimed he may have stayed at Goodison had Frank Lampard not been sacked