David Moyes took Tyler Dibling off at half-time(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
When Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was booked against West Ham United on Monday night, David Moyes was handed a selection decision to make. Granted, he would have a few days before having to make the call, but someone was going to be coming in from the cold.
Dwight McNeil and Charly Alcaraz were both names mentioned, while a change of formation was even being suggested in some quarters. In the end, Moyes handed Tyler Dibling his first start for Everton in the Premier League; it did not end well.
The England youth international arrived at Hill Dickinson Stadium during the summer transfer window to much fanfare.
READ MORE: [Everton vs Crystal Palace LIVE - score, commentary stream, Iliman Ndiaye and Daniel Munoz goals](https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/everton-crystal-palace-live-stream-32613230)
Not only had Dibling impressed for Southampton, but it wasn’t long ago that a £100m move from the Saints to Manchester United was being talked about.
Everton had also managed to agree a deal worth about £40million, after the Sky Bet Championship moved away from their initial demands of a deal consisting of £45million plus £5million in add-ons, as well as 25 percent of any future sale.
The deal was seen as a big win for Everton, who managed to get a player they wanted on their terms.
However, after 45 minutes here, one suspects Dibling will not be knocking on his manager’s door anytime soon asking why he isn’t starting.
To put it bluntly, Dibling looked lost during the opening 45 minutes of this 1-0 defeat; not only did he struggle to get in the game, but nothing really came off for him.
A poor touch which resulted in Palace getting a throw-in rather than the Blues hitting the Eagles on the counter 10 minutes before the interval summed up his performance.
Dibling, though, and this needs to be pointed out, wasn’t alone in having a shocking first-half here, plenty of his team-mates struggled as well.
But this was a chance for Dibling to show what he can do. Show David Moyes why he should be starting and give Blues supporters something to be excited by in the process.
That simply never happened, and it was no surprise that Blues boss Moyes opted to withdraw the 19-year-old during the break.
It would be wrong to jump to any big conclusions, as one half of football does not define a player’s career or time at a football club.
But one thing that can be said is that Dibling had a fantastic opportunity to show what he can do, and he simply never took it.