Everton manager Sean Dyche has said he was happy with the debut performance of Arnaut Danjuma last Saturday, but he may not know the 26-year-old’s best position yet.
The Dutch international joined the Blues on a season-long loan from Villarreal and made his Everton debut in Saturday’s 1-0 pre-season friendly win at Stoke City.
Indeed, the versatile attacker started the game as a centre-forward, though while Dyche admits he was ‘pleased’ with Danjuma’s display, he may not ‘necessarily’ be an out-and-out striker.
Speaking with The Athletic, the Everton boss said: “I don’t necessarily think he’s (Danjuma) an out-and-out centre-forward but we need minutes and can only play certain players in certain positions.
We know he can operate in a number of different positions and can play wide or sort of in the nine-and-a-half/10 role, so we’ll see. We think he can offer something, which is why we brought him in.
I was pleased with the work ethic and we’ll be doing more to get him fitter and sharper.”
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Though Arnaut Danjuma could be an attacking threat, he is not the striking reinforcement that Everton desperately need
Indeed, Everton have been without centre-forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin for the entirely of pre-season this summer and have operated with a makeshift forward line, as was the case for much of last season.
Arnaut Danjuma will certainly provide Everton with an additional threat in attack this season, but as Dyche states, he is not an out-an-out centre-forward and Saturday’s win at Stoke only served to further highlight the need for one.
The Toffees cashed in on academy graduate Ellis Simms in a £3.5m deal with Coventry City and the futures of both Neal Maupay and Demarai Gray remain unresolved.
With just one pre-season friendly game remaining and less than two weeks until the opening week of the Premier League season, there is a worrying lack of urgency regarding Everton’s threadbare options.