Ainsley Maitland-Niles has only been at Everton a matter of days, but it sounds as though he has already worked out what is required.
The Deadline Day signing enjoyed quite the introduction on Sunday, coming off the bench and smashing home a 96th-minute equaliser in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United.
His comments afterwards about the dressing room were just as interesting.
Everton dressing room full of ‘fighters’
“It’s a fighting team,” Maitland-Niles said.
“From the first few days I entered the pitch with the rest of the team, you could see they’re fighters. 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.”
That’s quite an insight from somebody who has barely had time to unpack his bags. Maitland-Niles only completed his £4.3m move from Lyon on Deadline Day, so his first impressions of the group have been formed quickly.
Sunday offered some evidence of what he was talking about. Everton twice fell behind against United but kept going, with Tyrique George cancelling out Bryan Mbeumo’s opener before Maitland-Niles responded to Benjamin Šeško’s late goal with that spectacular equaliser.
After everything that went wrong at the end of the transfer window, Moyes needs that sort of spirit in a squad that remains short on numbers. Maitland-Niles certainly appears to have understood the deal already.
Fight for the shirt and earn the respect of those alongside you.
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