Tim Iroegbunam must tread carefully at Everton as Premier League suspension in pipeline
Tim Iroegbunam could soon face a spell on the sidelines if he isn’t careful at Everton.
The Englishman has been a bit-part player on Merseyside since he swapped Villa Park for Goodison, in a swap deal with Lewis Dobbin.
He looked good under Sean Dyche, but has faced limited minutes under David Moyes for the most part this campaign.
The 22-year-old started against Manchester United on Monday, but didn’t truly cover himself in glory as his side fell to a 1-0 defeat.
Iroegbunam is now on thin ice in the Premier League and could be in line for a ban if he continues on his current trajectory.
Tim Iroegbunam close to Premier League ban at Everton
The number 42 has only played 22 games this campaign, with just 12 of those coming as starts in the league.
He has often fallen to the bench and played second or third fiddle to the likes of James Garner and Idrissa Gueye in blue.
Even Harrison Armstrong has come back from his loan spell and immediately jumped Iroegbunam in the pecking order this season.
That hasn’t stopped the ex-Aston Villa youngster from picking up a poor disciplinary record in the Premier League in his limited appearances.
He has eight yellow cards at this stage, leaving him two cards away from picking up a two-match ban in the Premier League.
That will become a three-match ban if he moves to 15 yellow cards, meaning he has to really tread carefully moving deeper into the campaign.
Iroegubnam among worst discipline records in Premier League
For a bit-part player to have picked up so many bookings is a concern, especially when comparing his record to the entire division.
There are 10 other players within the Premier League who have the same record or worse, but they are all playing more frequently than Iroegbunam.
- Andre (Wolves) – nine yellows
- Yerson Mosquera (Wolves) – eight yellows
- Lewis Dunk (Brighton) – eight yellows
- Cristian Romero (Tottenham) – eight yellows
- Joao Gomes (Wolves) – eight yellows
- Kyle Walker (Burnley) – eight yellows
- Alex Jimenez (Bournemouth) – eight yellows
- Moises Caicedo (Chelsea) – eight yellows
- Marco Senesi (Bournemouth) – eight yellows
- Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) – eight yellows
That has to raise alarm bells for Moyes and Co., who will surely begin to rely less and less on the youngster, moving closer towards the end of the season.
He needs to turn a corner and solve his discipline problem, or he risks facing an exit from Merseyside in the near future.
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