Everton Notebook: Blues correspondent Joe Thomas with the latest from Finch Farm and beyond
Dwight McNeil has emerged as a leader in the Everton squad over recent weeks as his form has bolstered his confidence. The 24-year-old has provided some of the standout moments of the season to date and his goals against Crystal Palace were crucial to the club’s first league win of the campaign.
They followed the long range effort at Aston Villa that gave Everton a lead that was doubled when Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed in McNeil’s free-kick minutes later, though the Blues went on to lose that match. The pair almost combined again to produce a breakthrough against Newcastle on Saturday.
The personal success has fuelled a growth in confidence for a player who has a reputation for being incredibly self-critical. Speaking on this topic before the Newcastle United game, Sean Dyche, the manager who gave McNeil his breakthrough at Burnley and then inspired an uplift in form when the pair reunited on Merseyside, said: “I’ve been speaking to him about that. If it doesn’t work, if it’s not happening, you still do what the team needs, you still play a role in what the team needs and adapting to that.”
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Over recent weeks there have been moments when things really have started to ‘work’ for McNeil, culminating in him being shortlisted for the Premier League’s player of the month for September.
And the greatest leader in the Everton dressing room has recognised the impact that had had on McNeil, who with more than 200 top flight appearances already has a wealth of experience to draw upon.
Seamus Coleman said of him: “We all know at Everton what Dwight has got in his locker and his two goals were top drawer. He is enjoying the more central role he has been given and he’s emerging as a leader in the pack, always keen to take responsibility and get himself, and us, on the ball.”
Will McNeil hold on to that central role?
Dyche has moved McNeil into that central role this season having previously considered such a ploy. It is a position that appeared to be destined for Iliman Ndiaye after his arrival from Marseille in the summer but he has spent much of his opening weeks as an Everton player on the left wing.
Explaining where he sees the summer signing as fitting into his team, Dyche suggested he could persevere with Ndiaye in that role when asked by the ECHO.
He said: “We try and look at players with as much flexibility as we can. When Iliman got here everyone was telling me he must play in the #10. I think we are finding he can play and operate where he is doing and I think he is doing a very good job at it so far.
“Not every player lives in a certain role. You look and you change and see where you think they can fit and I think Ili is beginning to look like he knows that zone out wide, his stats are improving, they are still not total Premier League stats so far but that is about learning about the Premier League, the ups and downs of playing out wide, the wide player nowadays doesn’t just stand out wide, they work both ways, that is the modern way of playing across the Premier League.
Harrison Armstrong gets England call up
While last year was a tough one for the academy as it attempted to respond to the sales of several of its most talented players, positive signs are emerging this season.
Harrison Armstrong and Roman Dixon have been heavily involved in first team action and attacking midfielder Charlie Whitaker is in contention for Premier League 2 player of the month for September following a glut of goals that included two more in the defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday. Whitaker, along with Martin Sherif, Omari Benjamin and Isaac Heath in the Under-21s and Braiden Graham in the Under-18s, is among the attacking prospects who have hit form in the opening weeks.
There is recognition from further afield now, too. Defender Elijah Campbell, currently on loan in Scotland with Ross County, has now been called up for the latest England Elite squad for games against Italy and Czech Republic.
Goalkeeper Douglass Lukjanciks has again been called up for the England U18s, where he will now be joined by Armstrong, whose remarkable summer has taken another development with his call-up as he replaces Chelsea’s Shumaira Mheuka as the squad heads to Marbella for a tournament this month.
First team job going at Finch Farm
Meanwhile, efforts to boost the ranks behind the scenes at Everton continue with the club now looking to hire a new first team performance analyst.
The job description, available on the Training Ground Guru website, explains: “Performance Analysis has come to play an integral role in football; we are continuing to look at how we gain a competitive edge on and off the pitch.
“We feel that by using data and video to extract insights we can improve player performance and measure our alignment to our coaching philosophy… the role will focus on providing football analysis support to all the relevant first team staff and players, where you will support and contribute to opposition analysis processes, match day performance and post match analysis.”