Everton manager David Moyes has left a lot of fans and pundits baffled by his handling of summer signing Tyler Dibling.
The 19-year-old winger has only started one Premier League game all season and made a brief cameo appearance at the weekend.
Moyes snubbed Dibling for Dwight McNeil from the starting XI for Saturday’s loss against Arsenal at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Some will not be surprised by now to see Dibling overlooked by the 62-year-old.
There has been some praise for the winger, with Angus Kinnear hailing Dibling’s work ethic behind the scenes at Finch Farm.
Former Everton manager Sam Allardyce has now cast his verdict on the situation as he thinks he knows exactly why Dibling isn’t starting for Moyes.
Why Tyler Dibling is not playing for Everton
He may only have played 15 minutes on Saturday, but some Everton fans weren’t impressed with Dibling and his display against Arsenal.
McNeil was far from impressive, which leaves Moyes with an interesting decision to make ahead of the trip to Burnley.
Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce has shared his thoughts on Dibling’s time on Merseyside.
How would you describe David Moyes’ handling of Tyler Dibling so far? 😕
He's made just one league start ahead of Arsenal…
“I thought the young lad from Southampton might have made a bit of an impact, but he’s not sort of settled in yet, has he? Because he got rave reviews for Southampton last season in the Premier League,” said the former Everton manager.
“And I thought, you know, that’s a really good signing, but perhaps it’s being a young lad moving and all the way up here.
“It might not be a while before he settles in, but certainly look like he’s got the ability, but not managed to put that into an Everton shirt yet.”
Ironically, Moyes fought hard to sign Dibling at Everton this summer following hard negotiating from Southampton over the market.
Despite this, the 19-year-old still finds himself searching for a consistent run in the side.
Dibling simply has to start against Burnley
After being given the nod of approval from Moyes, McNeil’s display against Arsenal left a lot to be desired.
It has been suggested that Nottingham Forest want to sign McNeil in January as Sean Dyche eyes a reunion with his former midfielder.
Who should be starting vs Burnley… Dibling or McNeil? 🙄
Although Moyes denied the McNeil transfer speculation, the 26-year-old is not exactly setting the world alight on Merseyside.
Considering the money Everton spent on bringing Dibling to the club, it really is baffling to see him ostracised to the extent he has been.
If the youngster is not starting against Burnley at the weekend, then big questions will surely start to be asked.
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