Ainsley Maitland-Niles trend is concerning Everton, David Moyes' actions prove it
David Moyes is already losing faith in Ainsley Maitland-Niles at Everton.
The Englishman came in as a late summer signing as the Toffees looked to plug a gap.
There had been a dire need for a new right-back on Merseyside for many years.
Complaints did flood in, but the 29-year-old quickly quietened them with a stunner on debut against Manchester United.
It feels as though frustration is starting to creep back in surrounding the defender.
Moyes seems to be feeling it too based on his treatment of Maitland-Niles against Chelsea.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles faced familiar fate vs Chelsea
It's fair to say that the Blues would have hoped for better in their 2-0 defeat on Saturday.
Xabi Alonso's side didn't really struggle and came away with a pretty comfortable win.
Not many of the home players had their best day, with Maitland-Niles being one of the biggest strugglers.
That was summed up when he was removed by Moyes on 55 minutes.
The substitutions are actually coming earlier by game, with the latest being 23 minutes earlier than at the MKM Stadium.
That doesn't bode well for Maitland-Niles and will be music to the ears of one of his teammates.
Merlin Rohl could benefit from David Moyes call at Everton
It was shown against Chelsea that the ex-Arsenal man doesn't currently have the full faith of the dugout.
That contrasts to the opinion surrounding Merlin Rohl as he was given the nod at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
He started on the right flank against the Stamford Bridge outfit, but was dropped back to full-back when Maitland-Niles came off.
That could be an idea that Moyes goes back to from the start rather than having to waste a substitution on it every week,
With a trip to face Arsenal coming up, it will certainly be interesting to see who gets the nod.
Whoever it is will certainly have a tough test on their hands and is a problem that the Toffees really don't need.