Everton boss Sean Dyche has praised the recent efforts of Arnaut Danjuma.
There were very few positives for Sean Dyche to take from the 4-0 hammering his Everton side were handed by Aston Villa yesterday. However, the performance of Arnaut Danjuma provided some reason for hope.
Danjuma wasn’t named in the Everton starting XI. The summer loan arrival is still working his way up to full fitness. However, when Dominic Calvert-Lewin picked up a first-half injury, Danjuma was called upon to lead the line for the Toffees.
Of course, with Aston Villa dominating the match and running rampant in Everton’s defensive third, Danjuma only had scraps to feed off.
However, even with the little service he had, Danjuma showed his willingness to work and run hard for the team. The 26-year-old constantly moved into the channels to pull Aston Villa defenders out of position and create space to exploit. It almost came off as Danjuma was able to make a clever run off the back of Pau Torres, only to see his shot from a tight angle saved well by Emiliano Martinez.
Dyche needs Danjuma to shine for Everton
Knowing that Danjuma is a viable option to spearhead the attack will be a boost for Dyche. The Everton manager liked what he saw from the Dutchman. As quoted by Liverpool World, Dyche said, “Arnie Danjuma is getting fitter and sharper and showed that.”
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Danjuma did look sharp against Villa, but he was badly let down by his teammates who couldn’t match his energy levels or endeavour. As Dyche went on to say, “apart from that [Danjuma], there’s hardly a player anywhere near what we can do.”
Everton need to improve very, very quickly, or else the pressure will soon mount on Dyche. The early indications are that the Merseyside outfit are in for another tough season of fighting against relegation. Danjuma is one of the players that Dyche will be looking to to keep Everton in the Premier League.