Alan Stubbs holds hands up as he makes Beto admission at Everton
Alan Stubbs has held his hands up as he made a new admission about Everton forward Beto ahead of the Manchester United match.
Beto again leads the line in Everton’s match against Man United, having scored four goals in his last three games, doubling his Premier League tally for the Toffees in the process.
The Guinea-Bissau international striker had been deemed as surplus to requirements at Goodison Park, and at times during last month’s transfer window, a return to Serie A with Torino was on the cards.
Following injuries to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Armando Broja in recent weeks, however, Beto has been thrust back into the starting XI under David Moyes; and neither he nor Everton have looked back since.
Beto admission made by Alan Stubbs after Everton turnaround
Having dropped to third-choice in the striking ranks under Sean Dyche and making substitute cameos at a sparse rate, Beto is relishing the regular game-time he’s been afforded since Moyes re-took charge.
Speaking on talkSPORT (22 February, 8:09am), former Toffee Stubbs said that while he previously thought Beto had no future at Goodison Park, the striker’s form since has flipped that verdict on its head.
Stubbs said: “I’ll hold my hands up, I wasn’t in the Beto camp – for me, he’s not easy on the eye, he was really struggling, more so with confidence – he’s come into the team, and he’s looked a different player.
“He deserves a lot of credit, he’s taken his goals really well – and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but things are looking up at Everton!”
| Beto | Premier League appearances | Premier League goals |
| Under Sean Dyche | 42 | 4 |
| Under David Moyes | 5 | 4 |
Beto becoming undroppable after sensational Everton form
January 2025 could prove to be the defining month of Beto’s Everton career, providing a sliding doors moment which could have resulted in him bringing a forgettable period on Merseyside to an early end.
Instead, Beto stayed put, and has since reaped the benefits tenfold, firing the Toffees towards four wins in their last five games and helping to move them 13 points away from the Premier League drop zone.
Goals against Leicester, Liverpool and Crystal Palace last time out have seen Beto suddenly emerge as one of the form strikers in the division, giving Calvert-Lewin and Broja a tough task to displace him.
With the Toffees firmly on an upward trajectory and Beto the spearhead of their rich vein of form since Moyes’ return to Goodison Park, ambitions will be sky-high that he is their go-to man for the foreseeable.
Calvert-Lewin’s expiring contract has dominated the narrative surrounding Everton’s strikers this season, but Beto’s hot-streak has helped fans to forget all about losing their long-time number nine for free.