Tim Iroegbunam started against Arsenal for Everton – and it may be that he sees a lot more involvement for the Toffees from here on in.
Everton lost 2-0 against the Gunners on Saturday evening, with the hosts scoring two late goals.
Who was your Man of the Match in what was a positive performance? 👏
The players deserved so much more… 😡
Michael Keane in action for Everton during a Premier League clash against Arsenal
Photo by Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Viktor Gyokeres opened the scoring after a rare mistake by Jordan Pickford, before they then scored with a breakaway, finished by Max Dowman.
Gary Lineker praised Everton’s performance against Arsenal and there were undoubtedly positives to take.
And one was the performance of Tim Iroegbunam in midfield.
Iroegbunam was given a start by David Moyes as part of a reshuffle – and the midfield could now be set for some decent minutes in Everton’s run-in.
Tim Iroegbunam could have increasingly big role for Everton
Tim Iroegbunam challenges Eberechi Eze for the ball.
Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Starts have been a little tricky to come by for Iroegbunam in recent weeks.
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Since Idrissa Gana Gueye’s return from AFCON, he’s had to make do with a place on the bench – although he did get the nod against Manchester United last month.
But potentially, the fitness concerns over Jarrad Branthwaite could open the door for him to become a more prominent figure.
We saw at the weekend how Moyes moved James Garner to right-back, rather than bring in Nathan Patterson.
Jake O’Brien moved inside to replace Branthwaite, and looked superb along with Michael Keane, who had replaced the injured James Tarkowski.
With Garner moving back, that meant a chance for Iroegbunam – and the 22-year-old made a great impression.
In what was a busy performance, Iroegbunam – who cost Everton £9 million (via The Athletic) – made eight defensive contributions, and won five tackles (via Sofascore).
Does Tim Iroegbunam deserve an extended run in Everton’s starting XI after his display vs Arsenal? 🤔
The midfielder caught the eye against the Gunners as Garner moved to right-back…
A custom graphic showing some statistics for Tim Iroegbunam vs Arsenal.
Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
His energy made life hard for his opposite numbers in red, and it was a showing that would surely have made an impression on Moyes.
What Moyes said about Branthwaite
Everton are carefully managing Branthwaite after his return from a serious hamstring injury earlier this year.
Branthwaite didn’t join his teammates for warm weather training recently, instead staying at Finch Farm to do individual work.
Tim Iroegbunam playing for Everton.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
That sparked concern, as many felt he could still have joined up with his teammates and done individual work in the Algarve.
After the defeat to Arsenal, Moyes bluntly stated ‘I have nothing to say about them’ when asked about the potential returns of Branthwaite and Tarkowski, which has done little to ease the concerns of fans.
But it seems clear that Branthwaite won’t be playing every single game between now and the end of the season, and given how Iroegbunam played as part of the reshuffle, he could now rise to prominence for the Toffees.
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