‘Massive future’: Dyche says Everton have two ‘excellent’ young players who are getting better and better

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Sean Dyche has heaped high praise on Amadou Onana and James Garner.

Speaking to Liverpool World, the Everton boss has claimed the pair were excellent against Aston Villa and has tried to play down the high demands placed on them.

Onana arrived on Merseyside from Lille in August 2022 when Everton coughed up £33 million for the promising Belgian.

Garner added to the Toffees’ midfield a month later, when he was snapped up from Manchester United for £15m.

The duo’s careers at Everton both started very differently, with Onana really impressing as a regular in the team, while Garner‘s appearances were limited due to injury.

However, both players have featured heavily this season and have been two standouts in the back-to-back wins over the last week. Garner netted his first goal since joining the club at Villa Park on Wednesday night as he teamed up brilliantly with Onana to open the scoring in the Carabao Cup.

The pair have both been under huge pressure to perform for Everton, with Onana especially expected to live up to his hefty price tag. The 22-year-old was criticised in the opening games of the current campaign, however Dyche has now praised him and has urged fans to be patient with their younger players.

He told Liverpool World: “I thought him and Jimmy [Garner] were excellent last night [Wednesday], had good games at the weekend in slightly different roles and yet again, open-mindedness from two different players who are growing and maturing in the Premier League.

“It’s the way the game has gone, people were remarking about it a few weeks ago. But I said: ‘If that player was €2 million, everyone would say he’s a young player see how he goes’. But put a big price on it, the demand goes up immediately. They’re young in their true understanding of the Premier League, they have a massive future in front of them.”

Everton’s brilliant midfield

Everton’s midfield has looked completely transformed over the last couple of games, with Onana, Garner and Abdoulaye Doucoure all stepping it up and having a huge impact on the team’s performance.

While Doucoure turns 31 years old this season, Onana and Garner make a really promising future for Everton if they can keep hold of them. Onana has already been valued at over £50m, while his English teammate could prove to be a huge bargain if he continues to improve.

It has only been two games, but things are looking a lot more positive at Goodison Park and the form of their midfielders is clearly very important. Hopefully it isn’t too much to ask for them to all stay fit, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin also keeps scoring.