Throughout this season, Everton fans have consistently expressed concern over how little the likes of Tyler Dibling and Adam Aznou play under David Moyes.
The Toffees are doing well as they sit just five points away from fifth place, but Moyes has been accused of short-termism while heavily relying on his older, more experienced options.
Dibling, a £40m signing from Southampton last August, has made just four Premier League starts, while Aznou is yet to actually feature in the Premier League. Merlin Rohl – who Everton are signing for £17.3m at the end of the season once his loan from Freiburg ends – also has just two Premier League starts to his name.
However, after a 2-0 win over Burnley at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, these young talents should all feel a lot more optimistic about the future.
How would you describe David Moyes’ handling of Tyler Dibling so far? 😕
He's made just one league start ahead of Arsenal…
David Moyes on Tyler Dibling's quiet nature at Everton.
Credit: Getty Images/Malcolm Couzens.
Everton now in a fantastic position to qualify for the UEFA Conference League at least
With Everton now hunting down the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea, it feels as if a spot in the UEFA Conference League is the very least fans can expect.
Should the Toffees achieve qualification for that competition, it is likely to open the door to the likes of Dibling and Aznou – who is having to settle for a role as an emergency backup right now.
Just take a look at Crystal Palace for example. Oliver Glasner was even able to give 16-year-old Joel Drakes-Thomas a start in the UEFA Conference League earlier this season for a 2-2 draw against KuPS.
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With eight league phase games in the UEFA Conference League, many of which come against teams who pale in comparison to Everton in terms of quality, Moyes is likely to feel he can afford to give players like Dibling, Aznou and Rohl opportunities to develop without risking a negative result in doing so.
The Glaswegian clearly believes the trio are not capable of playing regularly in the Premier League just yet and has already admitted he feels they can improve, but with European football now in touching distance for Everton, their breakthrough could be imminent against lesser sides across the continent.
Merlin Rohl and Adam Aznou already boast experience of European football
While Rohl and Aznou might be struggling for minutes under Moyes, they could actually offer the 62-year-old quite a bit in European football.
Rohl has already accumulated eight appearances in the UEFA Europa League with Freiburg at the age of 23, even scoring a goal.
With regards to Aznou, the Morocco international has a UEFA Champions League appearance to his name from his days at Bayern Munich.
Is David Moyes doing enough at Everton to earn himself a new contract? 🫣
If not, who would you like to see replace him? 😬
Everton manager David Moyes.
These experiences will have given both players an invaluable insight into how European competitions work and the preparation it requires – both in terms of tactics and travel – so they could prove to be real assets for Everton next season if Moyes can lead the Toffees back into a UEFA tournament.
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