Sean Dyche makes surprise Roman Dixon decision – confirmed Everton XI v Tottenham

Sean Dyche has named his starting XI as Everton head to Tottenham Hotspur in their first away game of the new Premier League season on Saturday (24 August).

With Toffees captain James Tarkowski expected to miss the game through injury, Dyche has produced a huge curveball by naming the 31-year-old to start alongside Michael Keane in central defence.

Also featuring in the starting XI as confirmed by the club on X, is 19-year-old academy right-back Roman Dixon, who comes in for the suspended Ashley Young after the veteran's red card against Brighton last week.

Despite conceding three goals on the opening day, ever-present Jordan Pickford keeps his place between the sticks looking for his first clean sheet of the new campaign.

Dyche has few options on the flanks of his back four either, with Vitaliy Mykolenko the club's only fit left-back and Dixon, who is half the age of 38-year-old Young, making his starting debut on the right-hand side.

Sean Dyche hoping for Everton response against Tottenham.

Idrissa Gueye and Tim Iroegbunam continue in the double-pivot after the latter was their best performer by some distance against Brighton, with Abdoulaye Doucoure further forward in the number 10 role.

Out wide, Jack Harrison and Dwight McNeil keep their places despite calls for Napoli loan signing Jesper Lindstrom to come in after the former Burnley man was anonymous on the opening day.

As expected, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is Dyche's preferred choice up front after a frustrating afternoon at Goodison on the opening day – the manager having missed a Beto brace for the Under-21s in midweek. 

Beto is one of several potentially game-changing options off the bench should Dyche need to change things in North London, and Iliman Ndiaye joins him with a view to earning a starting spot of his own.

Further big-money transfers look unlikely given Everton's budgetary worries this summer [The Athletic, 9 August], and if this is the squad Dyche has at his disposal this season, he'll be hoping to get the very best out of them in this game.

In other Everton news, a high-profile Toffees ace could still leave according to Paul Joyce's latest update.

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