Andre Gomes surely set for crucial Sean Dyche role at Everton after development in last 24 hours
Andre Gomes could well be gearing up for a crucial role under Sean Dyche at Everton with the midfielder given another opportunity to boost his fitness on Friday night (15 December).
The 30-year-old midfielder, who spent last season on loan at Lille, hasn’t made a single appearance for the Blues this campaign after being sidelined through injury since August.
The Portuguese midfielder who almost quit Goodison Park (FotoMac, 13 September) over the summer has been stepping up his fitness over the past few weeks and was also spotted in first-team training with Sean Dyche’s squad on Friday (1 December).
Over the course of December, the former LOSC Lille ace has been stepping up his fitness with the reserves and was selected for the Everton under-21s against Southampton on 4 December.
Again on Friday night (15 December), Gomes was picked for their PL2 fixture against West Bromwich Albion which certainly suggests he may well be set for a role in Sean Dyche’s squad in the near future.
It’s positive news to see Gomes back in training with the rest of the Everton players after he has endured a difficult time with injuries over the past few years.
Since joining the Toffees from Barcelona in 2018, the midfielder has made 100 appearances for the club, scoring two goals and laying on seven assists.
Given he is not ready for first-team action at Goodison Park as yet, the decision to drop him to the reserves is a pretty sound one given he needs minutes such as the under-21s to get back to full fitness.
After being deemed surplus to requirements by previous Blues boss Frank Lampard, he went out on loan to French side Lille last season, where he scored three goals and laid on two assists in 27 appearances.
Gomes does offer something different to any other player in the Toffees’ midfield when the former Barcelona man is fit and firing, possessing tremendous technical acumen in possession, wonderful vision and a creative weapon that Everton have desperately needed in the middle of the park since he fell away at the club after injury.
Dyche may be more open to giving the Portuguese a chance at Goodison Park than his predecessor as he looks to be closing in on a return to full fitness.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Gomes at Goodison Park and this
In other Everton news, Ian Herbert has sent a new “extreme” message to Sky after what they did to the Toffees in recent weeks