Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images
Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images
The international break is over and club football will resume this weekend, with Everton preparing for a trip to Hull City.
It has felt like an eternity since the Toffees beat Ipswich Town 1-0 in their latest Premier League fixture. But following the extended break, it is time for the players to focus back on domestic football.
David Moyes has obviously been without several of his players in the last couple of weeks or so. And while this has not been ideal for preparations, there are still some players who have really benefited from the extended break.
Winners
Jake O’Brien
Everton fans have barely seen Jake O’Brien this season with Moyes preferring James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite at centre-half. The signing of Ainsley Maitland-Niles has also prevented O’Brien from getting any minutes at right-back.
So this break was a chance for him to blow away some cobwebs. And he managed to do that, making four appearances and playing 285 minutes in total.
O’Brien was praised several times for being imperious in the air, and it was good for him to get some involvement for his country. He will be ready to come in and replace either Tarkowski or Branthwaite if needed.
Tyler Dibling
Tyler Dibling showed exciting signs before the international break with his performances against Wolves and Ipswich Town – and last night he got on the scoresheet for the England U21s.
While it was only a fairly average performance overall from Dibling, with Tyrique George looking more lively when he came on, it was another important moment for the 20-year-old.
Scoring last night will potentially raise his confidence even further, which can only be a good thing for Everton. And it perhaps might just see Moyes start Dibling against Hull this weekend.
Jonathan Nsangou
A number of Everton youngsters were called into first-team training at Finch Farm to cover the absences of players on international duty, and one of those players was Jonathan Nsangou.
Nsangou is arguably the biggest prospect in the academy, and he’s been making an impression over the last couple of weeks – and he also scored in the 3-3 draw with Blackburn Rovers in a behind-closed-doors friendly.
Realistically, we won’t be seeing him in a competitive game for the first-team this season given how young he still is. But there’s no doubt he’ll have put himself on Moyes’ radar.
Player Minutes played
Jake O’Brien (Ire) 285
Brennan Johnson (Wal) 263
Jordan Pickford (Eng) 180
Harrison Armstrong (Eng U20s) 121
Tyler Dibling (Eng U21s) 110
Tyrique George (Eng U21s) 91
Vitalii Mykolenko (Ukr) 90
Braiden Graham (N Ire U21s) 84
James Garner (Eng) 67
Jarrad Branthwaite (Eng) 28
Losers
Vitalii Mykolenko
Vitalii Mykolenko only played one game for Ukraine, before picking up an injury.
We don’t yet know the extent of the damage, but the language used by manager Andrea Maldera seemed to suggest it was not a serious issue. He spoke about not wanting to risk the Everton full-back.
But then, Mykolenko left the Ukraine camp early to return to Everton, prompting a bit of concern.
Mykolenko has been one of Everton’s best players so far this season, so to lose him would be a blow, especially with Moyes having no natural replacement for him.
Brennan Johnson
Johnson saw plenty of minutes for Wales in this international break, but unfortunately couldn’t play his way into form before returning to Everton.
He got the second-highest number of minutes of Everton players on international duty, but failed to score or assist across Wales’ four games. He played in a number of different positions, and there were some good flashes at times, but overall he lacked impact, a bit like he has done for Everton so far.
Ideally, he would have scored or assisted, and now he has to try and build momentum back in an Everton shirt.