David Moyes has obvious solution to Jack Grealish absence in Manchester City vs Everton
Everton will be without Jack Grealish when they travel to Manchester City next Saturday.
Grealish has been in sensational form for Everton, but he will not be able to face his parent club when they meet on 18 October.
Grealish has been transferred in by thousands of Fantasy Premier League players, but he will not play in the Etihad Stadium.
David Moyes could choose to start Tyler Dilbing or shift Kieran Dewsbury-Hall to the flank, but there is a more obvious solution.
Iliman Ndiaye is obvious Jack Grealish replacement for Everton
Iliman Ndiaye continued his Everton form on international duty as he starred for Senegal in their 5-0 win over South Sudan on 10 October.
Without Grealish against Pep Guardiola’s side, Moyes should shift the Senegalese star to the left wing, where he operated last season.
The former Sheffield United ace has been moved to the right to accommodate the City loanee so far this season, and he could benefit from playing in a more natural position at the Etihad Stadium.
The Sofascore graphic below shows the impact of each player.
Everton have seen Ndiaye’s best on the left wing
Ndiaye has still notched three goals and one assist despite being moved to an unfamilar role this season, but the evidence suggests he is better on the left side.
The ex-Marseille man notched nine goals for the Blues in the league last season in his favoured role, and he may relish the chance to move back there, even just for one game.
- Ndiaye has featured 46 times for the Blues, with 33 matches on the left side
- He has scored 14 goals and assisted one
- He has played a total of 3,424 minutes for the club
That was the highest tally that a Toffees player achieved, with striker Beto one behind him with eight goals.
He also had the best successive dribble rate, completing 2.1 per 90 minutes and 52 per cent of his total attempts, per Sofascore.
Grealish will likely move back into the position when he returns, but there is no harm in giving Ndiaye creative license against the Citizens, and seeing if he can recreate his brilliant form from last season.
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