Everton manager David Moyes heaped praise on right-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles following the club’s goalless Premier League draw against Tottenham Hotspur on the road on Saturday.
The Merseyside outfit continued their unbeaten start to the campaign with a 0-0 draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They could have won the game on another day, but should be pleased with the overall display.
Speaking after the goalless stalemate, Moyes hailed the performances of James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite and Vitaliy Mykolenko in defence and added that Maitland-Niles deserves a special mention as well.
On Maitland Niles, he told Sky Sports (via BBC Sport): “Ainsley Maitland-Niles needs a mention as well. Really pleased with the fact that he has come in and done really well for us.”
The 29-year-old joined the Toffees in a surprise £3 million transfer from Lyon on deadline day. He has already proved a valuable acquisition after his world-class equaliser off the bench against Manchester United.
The Arsenal graduate received his maiden Everton start against Spurs yesterday. He could not repeat the heroics from last weekend, but was good defensively with 4 recoveries, 3 duels won and a couple of clearances.
Maitland-Niles had a passing accuracy of 86 percent against Roberto De Zerbi’s side. He was eventually replaced by Jake O’Brien in the 75th minute. The onus is on him to stay consistent to secure a regular starting role.
Everton have had a good start to the Premier League campaign with 6 points from 4 matches. They missed out on European football last term after a disappointing run of league results towards the end of the season.
Despite the limited spending this summer, Moyes has once again proved why he is one of the best Premier League managers around. He has got the best out of a small squad with good draws against United and Spurs recently.
The Toffees now have a Carabao Cup third round tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Wednesday evening before hosting newly-promoted Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon.
Moyes could make a few changes in midweek. He may go with the same XI yesterday against…..
