After just one season at Chelsea, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall moved to Everton and is now preparing to face off against his old manager.
Enzo Maresca coached Dewsbury-Hall at Leicester and again at Chelsea last season.
As part of a large summer exodus, the Englishman made the switch to Merseyside where he has truly hit the ground running.
Everton fans love Dewsbury-Hall, who has already surpassed last season’s production, scoring four goals and making two assists in 14 Premier League appearances.
Ahead of his Stamford Bridge return, Maresca was asked why it didn’t work out with him at Chelsea.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall looks on during Everton v AS Roma - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images
Enzo Maresca explains Kieran Dewsbury-Hall sale
Dewsbury-Hall didn’t want to leave Chelsea, but he never quite made it into Maresca’s main squad.
He was a contributor in Chelsea’s Conference League campaign, scoring four times as the Blues cruised to the trophy. In the league, however, he was started just twice.
Speaking to the press ahead of their reunion, Maresca was asked why it didn’t work out for the 27-year-old.
As Football London report, he responded: “I didn’t have any doubt about Kiernan. The more he plays, he is going to be better.
“He was good for us. But there was a big competition for him.”
Indeed, Dewsbury-Hall was trying to break into one of Maresca’s more well-stocked positions.
The Italian has always rated his quality, but forcing his way ahead of Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez was always going to be a tall task. It has ended well for both parties, though.
Everton’s project is starting to take shape and Dewsbury-Hall looks like being a key figure in that. He will be desperate to prove his doubters in West London wrong with a statement performance on Saturday.
Enzo Maresca is ready to give Andrey Santos and Jorrel Hato a chance 👏
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Enzo Maresca on Andrey Santos and Jorrel Hato
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Enzo Maresca wins Premier League Manager of the Month for November
As much as December has gotten off to a nightmare start, Chelsea were near-perfect in November and Maresca has been rightfully acknowledged with the Premier League Manager of the Month award.
Winning three games without conceding and holding Arsenal to a draw with ten men was enough for the Italian to be rated above the rest.
It follows Robert Sanchez receiving the PFA Premier League Fans’ POTM earlier this week.
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Upon receiving the honour, Maresca wasn’t too keen on praising himself, but rather wanted to address the present form of the team.
He remarked: “This kind of thing, it’s because you do the right things. Performances and results were fantastic.
“We didn’t start December in the way we like. Three games in a row in one week, we didn’t get the results we expect, but we focus on the next one.”
No time to sit in the glory of his win. Everton is all Maresca will be thinking about.
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