Early Everton team news: Andre Gomes ‘primed’ to start v Manchester City
Early Everton team news has emerged ahead of the Premier League clash with Manchester City on 27 December after Liverpool Echo journalist Chris Beesley claimed Andre Gomes looks set to start against the Champions.
Beesley insisted that after his impressive cameo against Tottenham, and with both Idrissa Gueye and Abdoulaye Doucoure ruled out through injury, Sean Dyche will call upon the Portuguese once again.
Gomes’ inclusion in the starting XI would provide some consistency to Dyche’s team, rather than having to change the formation again as a result of the lack of options in midfield, which could benefit the Toffees.
Writing in his column for the Liverpool Echo [27 December], Beesley shared: “With the Blues boss declaring that he thought the Manchester City game was ‘a bit close’ for top scorer Abdoulaye Doucoure to return and ‘it doesn’t look that promising’ for Idrissa Gueye, the man who Gomes replaced in the capital, the Portuguese international suddenly looks primed for his first Everton start in 19 months.
“Given that Gomes was the Blues’ best performer against Ange Postecoglou’s side, setting up Dominic Calvert-Lewin for his disallowed goal and then netting himself, he would certainly earn his spot on merit, and his presence would enable Dyche to maintain the same formation.”
Time to prove his worth
Gomes is set to start a single game under Dyche, having spent last season on loan with Lille in Ligue Un, and suffering a mixture of injury issues and a lack of favour so far this season, his cameo performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium proved he is worthy of game time.
It’s up to the player now to prove his worth and make a point to the boss that he should be in with a shout of starting games in the Premier League in place of his teammates in what is Everton’s strongest position depth-wise.
Injuries to Gueye and Doucoure have provided the chance for Gomes to step up, and it is a chance he will need to continue to take, having impressed already but likely needing more to remain in Dyche’s thoughts for future games upon the return of his competitors.
If the midfielder can continue to show what he did against Spurs, he will give some food for thought to the boss, after it was previously assumed his time at Goodison Park had come to an abrupt end.
In other Everton news, Alex Crook has shared what legal experts are saying about Everton.