David Moyes shares what he wants from Tim Iroegbunam after what he saw against ‘world’s best midfielder’ Declan Rice
Tim Iroegbunam was drafted into David Moyes’ midfield against Arsenal.
Everton lost 1-0 to Arsenal at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday night.
A Viktor Gyokeres penalty was the deciding moment in the game, but Everton will feel aggrieved that they weren’t awarded a spot-kick of their own when William Saliba kicked the boot of Thierno Barry inside the box.
Mikel Arteta was left hugely impressed by Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium upon his first visit, and despite his team falling to defeat, there was one aspect of the match that also left Moyes very pleased as well.
David Moyes raves over Tim Iroegbunam display vs Declan Rice
It was always going to be a tough ask for Moyes’ men to topple the league leaders, made only more difficult by the fact that Everton were without a host of players against Arsenal.
One of those was Idrissa Gueye, who like Iliman Ndiaye, is taking part in AFCON and thus won’t be available until mid-January at the latest.
The 36-year-old has proven himself to be a reliable and quality central midfielder ever since re-joining Everton in the summer of 2022, and thus presented big boots to fill for Iroegbunam.
But, the 22-year-old performed admirably in the heart of Everton’s midfield, and was undoubtedly one of the best players in a blue and white shirt against Arsenal.
Speaking in quotes reported by the Liverpool Echo, Moyes raved over Iroegbunam’s perfomance but also highlighted one area he wants him to improve
“I thought Tim played really well,” Moyes said.
“He was up against probably the best midfield player in the world in some ways [Declan Rice], and he did a really good job. He stuck to it. We want him to do a lot of other things. We want him to pass forward more.
“We want him to be a bit more creative in his play at times, but the other side of his game, he’s been doing really well.”
- Read more: David Moyes to sanction Everton exit for player who started vs Arsenal, he wants fresh start
Iroegbunam must capitalise on Everton absentees
With Gueye now firmly in the twilight years of his career, Everton eyes will naturally be starting to look towards the future of their midfield.
James Garner looks capable of being a big part of that, and with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall establishing himself as a talismanic player for the Toffees, Iroegbunam must keep pace when given the chance to perform.
His Arsenal showing was a hugely positive indicator that he has the quality to carve out a key role for the club moving forward, and with Gueye now momentarily out of the picture, Everton’s decision-makers are getting an early chance to take stock of what they have outside of the Senegalese star.
- Iroegbunam made 12 defensive contributions vs Arsenal
- He won 73 per cent of his ground duels
- Iroegbunam had the most tackles of any player in the match with seven, as per FotMob
So, with Dewsbury-Hall also dealing with an injury problem on top of Gueye’s absence, Iroegbunam looks set for further starting minutes in the games to come.
The Englishman must take his chance, otherwise he could return to fringe status and may even see himself made available for some form of transfer away from the club in January if not.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @goodisonnews