Everton secured a 1-0 win against Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon, with Thierno Barry netting the winner.
James Garner earned rave reviews for his performance, and David Moyes suggested that he should be called up to the England squad in his post-match press conference.
Jordan Pickford was also praised for making a world-class save in the second half to deny Morgan Rogers.
What a win! Everton fans, who was your Man of the Match against Aston Villa?
So many great performances 🔥
Barry was hailed too and Moyes was keen to discuss his summer signing Merlin Rohl, who played only his second 90 minutes of the season.
- READ MORE: David Moyes hints at whether Harrison Armstrong will stay at Everton after Aston Villa win
David Moyes says Merlin Rohl needs time after encouraging Everton display
Speaking to the media after the game, Moyes heaped praise on Rohl and insisted that he needs time to adjust amid fan criticism in recent weeks.
“Then I think that Evertonians might have just started to see a bit more of Merlin Rohl today,” the Scotsman explained.
“I see quite a lot of it in training. He’s been up and down a little bit and he’s coming back from a hernia operation, so he’s just beginning to get an idea of what the Premier League is like.
Was that Merlin Rohl’s best game in an Everton shirt? 💪
“He’s got loads to improve on as well but if we’re going to judge them so quickly then we’re not going to give them an opportunity (to show their best).
“I say it because the people who have watched Everton for many years will know the likes of Leighton Baines, Joleon Lescott, Phil Jagielka – they all had to bide their time before they got regular games.
“I’m not saying it’s exactly the same but if they go on to be as good as any of those players, that’s what we want.”
Merlin Rohl has been impressing around Finch Farm
Rohl has certainly earned his opportunities of late, as he’s really been impressing behind the scenes at Finch Farm.
Rohl’s physicality has caught Moyes’ eye, as speaking earlier this month, he said: “We’ve been really impressed with what we’ve seen from Merlin.
“Certainly, his physicals are something else, they really are, so there’s lots about him we like. “I think he’s not quite got into his rhythm and it might take him a wee while this time. He surprised me by how quickly he went back into training, and I thought: ‘Oh, wow’ (over the pace of his comeback)…”
The 23-year-old may struggle for game time now that Idrissa Gana Gueye is set to return from AFCON, but he’s certainly a lot closer to the starting line-up than before.
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