With Idrissa Gueye being suspended for three games, the 36-year-old will be back for one Evgame before departing mid-way through the season due to the Africa Cup of Nations.
The midfielder will miss games against Newcastle, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest.
With Everton’s squad already light on numbers this will certainly give Moyes a headache as he tries to find the solutions to a player who’s been key to Everton in recent years.
Last season Gueye won both Men’s Player of the Season and Player’s Player of the Season. In the Premier League Gueye made the most tackles with 133 and winning 221 duels.
With the Senegalese being a key player for Everton, how much of a blow is this for David Moyes or is it a blessing in disguise?
Who replaces him?
Carlos Alcaraz:
Perhaps one of the biggest winners of Gueye’s suspension is Carlos Alcaraz, who since joining the club permanently last summer, has struggled for gametime as Moyes has opted for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and his role has been reduced to a squad player.
Dewsbury-Hall slotted in from a deeper position in the 1-0 win against Manchester United which could allow Alcaraz to play in his favoured role, in the number 10.
Last season the Argentine shined as he scored the only goal in a 1-0 away win at Newcastle and gave an Everton side much needed quality in the final third.
Alcaraz played a key-role in Everton’s comeback victory against Crystal Palace earlier this season and scored against Mansfield Town.
Merlin Rohl:
The midfielder signed on transfer deadline-day from Freiburg and so far has struggled with injuries and is out for a couple of weeks due to a hernia issue.
The 23-year-old is predominantly a box-to-box midfielder but can play deeper and has the physicality to cope with the demands of the Premier League. Everton will hope he will return sooner rather than later as they head into the festive period.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall:
Scoring the decisive goal to give Everton their first win at Old Trafford since 2013, and only their third in the Premier League era, an option for the Blues is to play the midfielder deeper in the number eight role.
Since joining the club this summer from Chelsea Dewsbury-Hall has been occupying the number 10 role linking up with Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye to give Everton more quality in the final third.
When speaking to Everton TV after the 1-0 Dewsbury-Hall was in high spirits when talking about what Moyes wants from his side.
He said: “He also told us we should never ever lose the identity of what it is to play for this football club, which is hard work, grit, determination because that’ in Everton’s DNA.”
Tim Iroegbunam:
During his stay so far on Merseyside Iroegbunam has been used sporadically but now has the opportunity to make a claim to kick-start his Everton career.
In the 2-0 victory against Fulham the 22-year-old played a role in the first goal which ironically was scored by Gueye.
He has the power and physicality to help Everton cope with Gueye’s absence.
With Iroegbunam, he is perhaps Everton’s only defensive minded midfielder which will come into Moyes’s consideration to match the balance alongside James Garner.
Recall Harrison Armstrong?
Talented midfielder Harrison Armstrong is enjoying life at Preston North End with the 18-year-old becoming a key player for Paul Heckingbottom.
Armstrong has already featured eight times for Everton registering two assists against Mansfield Town earlier this season but with the youngster starting each week in the Championship should Everton take the gamble which could affect his development?
Is it a must to enter the transfer market?
With the league being so dense at the minute Everton find themselves three points off forth-placed Aston Villa and there’s potential that they could find themselves in contention for Europe, but investment would be needed to make that reality happen.
Before the start of the season David Moyes’s side was light and with a summer rebuild on the horizon Everton simply couldn’t address all positions.
With the Everton’s midfield being short on numbers the club may need to address this position so the likes of James Garner and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who have been key to Everton season, don’t burn out and help manage the squad’s workload.
