The Blues boss sees Merlin Rohl and Tyler Dibling as central to his plans to deal with the loss of Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye to the Africa Cup of Nations over Christmas and new year
Everton scarves featuring players being sold at a merchandise stall outside Hill Dickinson Stadium. Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty ImagesView Image
David Moyes is plotting to give Merlin Rohl and Tyler Dibling greater opportunities to kickstart their Everton careers.
The summer signings have been bit-part players for the Blues so far this season. Dibling has started just once in the Premier League while Merlin Rohl’s impact has been limited by an injury to his hip suffered after he made his debut against Aston Villa.
They are expected to be given greater chances to make progress either side of the upcoming international break, however, with Moyes hoping to integrate them into his set-up ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.
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The tournament is set to have a significant impact on Everton this year. Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye are both expected to be named in Senegal’s squad for the competition, which will run from December 21 to January 18. Should they reach the final - Senegal are currently one of the favourites, alongside hosts Morocco, Egypt and Algeria - they would miss six league games and the FA Cup third round.
Moyes is already contemplating how best to handle the loss of two of his key players, who are likely to miss four league matches even if Senegal do not make it beyond the group stage.
His focus includes Rohl and Dibling, both of whom he has said he has been impressed with at Finch Farm. Rohl, a deadline day loan signing from Freiburg, is pushing for his first start after making appearances from the bench against Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. Moyes sees his versatility as an asset but a prolonged run of fitness would provide the chance to use him to replace Gueye in central midfield.
Of the 23-year-old, Moyes explained: “We'll keep edging him in and getting him through when we can. It would be easier to put him in if we had games in Europe - it's a bit harder when you're having to win a Premier League game and you only get one go at it. But we've all been hugely impressed by him.”
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Dibling, meanwhile, was Everton’s most expensive signing of their summer recruitment effort but has had to watch as Ndiaye has become Moyes’ option of choice on the right wing. Allowing the 19-year-old to build confidence before Christmas so he can cover Ndiaye is seen as an imperative.
Moyes said: “We've got to bring Tyler on as well, because we'll lose Ili to the Africa Cup of Nations. So that's why the build up for Tyler and Merlin is really important, so that we start to get them well integrated and get them ready for those periods.”