Merlin Rohl handed full debut in two David Moyes changes – Everton predicted XI vs Sunderland
Merlin Rohl could be in line for his first Everton start in their trip to Sunderland on Monday night.
The Toffees will be looking to bounce back in the Premier League after a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham on home turf last time out.
Everton have made a great start at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but they lost their unbeaten home record last weekend, thanks to a brace from Micky van de Ven and a late Pape Sarr header.
David Moyes will be desperate to see a reaction from his team on Wearside, and as a result, he could be about to make a couple of key changes to the starting XI.
Vitalii Mykolenko drops out as Merlin Rohl starts vs Sunderland
Vitalii Mykolenko struggled badly for Everton in the defeat to Tottenham, but Moyes is desperately lacking options to take the left-back out of the firing line.
The Ukraine international won just 29 per cent of his ground duels during the defeat, and was dribbled past twice as the visitors ran out comfortable winners.
Adam Aznou is evidently not ready for Premier League football, and that could see the boss drop James Garner back into a defensive role once again for the trip to the Stadium of Light.
The 24-year-old has filled in on the left of the backline at times already this season, and it may be a necessary change to give Mykolenko a break.
That leaves a gap in the midfield, which Merlin Rohl could be ready to fill after making cameo appearances in the last two league games.
The German is yet to make his full debut for Everton after suffering from injury issues at the start of the season, but the summer arrival could be thrown in at the deep end after some promising showings from the bench.
Beto was poor again in the defeat to Spurs, as he won just 33 per cent of his duels and missed the one big chance that came his way, so Moyes will surely be tempted to give Thierno Barry a chance to impress from the start.
Merlin Rohl will be key for Everton in January
Everton could lose Idrissa Gueye for a significant period across the end of December and the start of January, as the midfielder will be targeting a deep run with Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations.
That will leave a sizeable hole in the Toffees’ midfield, and that could provide Rohl with the perfect opportunity to come into his own at his new club.
Injuries have limited his impact on Merseyside so far, but his physicality and versatility could be invaluable for Moyes and his staff moving forward.
The 23-year-old is capable of playing in a deeper midfield role, and his energy could be the ideal way of replacing Gueye’s influence in the engine room during his likely absence.
However, if that scenario is to play out effectively for Everton, then it is vital that Moyes gets minutes into the German’s legs before then.
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