Everton midfielder Merlin Rohl came off the bench as the Toffees beat Fulham 2-0 at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Toffees could only draw 1-1 against Sunderland on Monday night, failing to put the Black Cats away after taking a 1-0 lead.
David Moyes’ side didn’t make the same mistake against Fulham, as Idrissa Gueye opened the scoring in the first half.
Michael Keane added the second after the break, handing Everton a 2-0 win over Marco Silva’s side.
Sunderland v Everton - Premier League
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David Moyes shares honest verdict on Everton’s Merlin Rohl
Everton fans wanted changes after losing to Sunderland, but Moyes made just the one switch.
James Garner moved to right-back as Tim Iroegbunam came into midfield alongside Gueye.
Iroegbunam over summer signing Merlin Rohl was a decision which may not have been popular with some fans.
Rohl has shown some talent off the bench in the early stages of his Everton career, but he has struggled for action.
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Moyes turned to Iroegbunam from the bench against Sunderland, so perhaps Rohl being named as a substitute shouldn’t have been a surprise.
Rohl did play 23 minutes off the bench, but Moyes felt that he found the intensity of the game difficult.
Speaking in a post-match press conference on Everton’s official YouTube channel, Moyes noted that Rohl struggled to adjust to the speed of the game.
Moyes thinks summer signings need time to settle, and Rohl is a perfect case.
The Everton boss did admit that Rohl missed some training sessions ahead of facing Fulham, but the speed of Premier League action can be difficult at first.
“Sometimes, we say it and people don’t really take it seriously, when you say how it takes time to adjust,” said Moyes.
“For example, we brought Merlin Rohl on today, he came on and couldn’t get adjusted to the speed of the game, how quick it was and what it was about.
“He’d missed a couple of days of training, to be fair to him,” he added.
Tim Iroegbunam could play big role over Merlin Rohl
It’s clear that Moyes wants to take it slowly with Rohl.
The German midfielder only started 11 Bundesliga games for Freiburg last season, so a major Premier League role may take some time.
Moyes is understanding of that and is preaching patience early into his Everton career.
We thought Rohl may step up in Gueye’s absence, as the Senegal man will head to the Africa Cup of Nations in December.
However, if Moyes feels that Rohl is still adjusting to the Premier League’s intensity a month out from Gueye’s departure, he may not be the man to slot in.
Iroegbunam could play a key role instead, with James Garner potentially moving back into midfield as well.
Rohl’s time will come, but Moyes’ comments after beating Fulham suggest that he will remain patient over his development.