Ainsley Maitland-Niles could hardly have made a better start atEverton, but the Deadline Day signing knows one wonder goal doesn’t guarantee him a place in David Moyes’ side.
The 29-year-old came off the bench to score a magnificent 96th-minute equaliser against Manchester United on Sunday, just days after completing his £4.3m move from Lyon. It was some introduction to life at the Hill Dickinson.
Maitland-Niles ready for the fight
Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside after his debut, Maitland-Niles made it clear he already understands what is expected.
“It’s a fighting team,” he said. “If you’re not a fighter here, they won’t respect you. So, you have to earn your respect by fighting as much as they do – if not more.”
Maitland-Niles has also revealed that he still needs to sit down with Moyes to discuss exactly where the manager sees him fitting into the team. BBC Sport’s account of his dream debut highlighted the positional question that has followed him throughout his career, having played both in midfield and at full-back.
That makes the next few weeks interesting. Merlin Röhl has started the season at right-back and, as we looked at in our piece on Everton’s potentially unexpected right-back plan, Moyes has so far been happy to keep him there.
Marcus Rashford gave Röhl a tough examination on Sunday, but one difficult afternoon doesn’t undo the good work that came before it. Maitland-Niles, meanwhile, could hardly have done more with his first opportunity.
Moyes admitted after the game that Everton have barely had time to get to know their new signing, describing his goal as a “brilliant” piece of technique. The Guardian’s report from the Hill Dickinson also noted that Maitland-Niles was only introduced in the 77th minute after James Garner suffered cramp.
So there is still plenty to sort out regarding where Maitland-Niles plays and whether he starts. What we do know is that he wants to earn his place rather than assume he has one.
After Sunday, he’s made a decent start.
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