David Moyes discusses the importance of Iliman Ndiaye to his Everton side ahead of Monday's Premier League match at Sunderland
Iliman Ndiaye of Everton during the Premier League match between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty ImagesView Image
Iliman Ndiaye keeps getting better and better. That's according to David Moyes, who admitted he was unsure how the attacker would perform when he returned to Everton.
Moyes was well aware of the Senegal international’s potential but arrived back on Merseyside with the club hovering above the relegation places and struggling for goals. But the Scot was quickly blown away by Ndiaye, who scored a mesmerising solo goal in the returning manager's first win, against Tottenham Hotspur back in January.
The attacker then kept his cool from the spot to give an Everton side that was resurgent under Moyes an impressive win at Brighton & Hove Albion before injury in the last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park ruled him out for a significant part of the rest of the season.
By then, Ndiaye had already won over his new boss, whose decision to switch him to the right wing this season may have come out of necessity but has yielded results - even if there remains questions over whether it is the 25-year-old’s best position.
Speaking about his importance to the team, Moyes said: “I wondered when I came in how he was going to be, would he add goals to what we had because maybe if your nines aren't getting them, you're saying where else are we getting the goals? Are we getting them from our centre-half scoring from set pieces, our wingers coming in?
“So, I have to say, when I first came I thought: ‘Is Ili going to get us enough goals?’ But he has and he's got us important goals and important assists but I actually think he's got better.”
Ndiaye already has three goals in the Premier League so far this season, scoring in the wins over Brighton, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace. He also provided the assist for Idrissa Gueye’s strike at Anfield as well.
Despite that haul, there remains a belief his performances have deserved more.
Ndiaye was the subject of huge attention after he dazzled the Manchester City defence at the Etihad Stadium and was denied two assists and a goal through a combination of Beto's finishing and Gianluigi Donnarumma’s fingertips. All three chances were with the game - which the Blues went on to lose 2-0 - goalless.
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In the defeat at home to Spurs last weekend, Ndiaye created two golden opportunities for Beto and was thwarted by an excellent reflex save by Guglielmo Vicario.
Moyes is already planning for Ndiaye’s expected absence when Senegal look to win the Africa Cup of Nations across December and January, such is his importance to the team.
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On his significance to Everton, Moyes, whose side head to Sunderland on Monday night, said: “I generally think that he's improved greatly. He is on a long contract here so we've got no worries about that.
“So we like him, we do like him and he's a great boy to work with, he's low maintenance, he plays all of the game and doesn’t complain about anything.
“He goes away with Senegal, comes back and plays again, so he's a really good boy from that point of view so we like him a lot.”