David Moyes has been reluctant to rotate at Everton this season. The Merseysiders are 14th in the Premier League after a summer of sweeping change, yet signings such as Tyler Dibling and Merlin Rohl remain on the fringe.

In fairness, Moyes did say at the start of the season that Everton’s deep-rooted issues would take more than one summer to eradicate and remould into something progressive, but some are questioning why more is not being made of the resources at hand.

Everton

14th

19

Man United

8th

20

Tottenham

6th

20

Brentford

12th

21

However, there is one change the Scotsman would love to make that hasn’t been possible. Indeed, Jarrad Branthwaite continues to languish on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury, and his return would do the Toffees the world of good.

Moyes needs Branthwaite back at Everton

Branthwaite is arguably Everton’s best player. Certainly, he would be the most profitable, with Manchester United billed £70m for the potential signing of the England international last year. No move came to fruition.

But he has yet to grace the Hill Dickinson pitch, having sustained an injury in pre-season. Several weeks ago, a complication in the defender’s muscular recovery led to surgery, and now he is set for an extended spell on the sidelines, with some sources suggesting he will not be ready until after the new year.

This is a powerful and front-footed centre-half whose 6 foot 5 presence demands respect. Much has been made of Everton’s struggles in the final third this season, but we must also acknowledge the ramifications of not having your best defender fit for the opening months of the campaign (this was also true for Sean Dyche last year, when the Blues started off on a four-match skid).

Michael Keane has done a fine job in stepping in for the younger man this season, arguably outplaying the vice-captain James Tarkowski beside him, but there’s no question that Branthwaite, described as an “absolute monster” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, would walk back into the line-up when fit enough to do so.

Everton have made headway this season, but further improvements are needed if Moyes’ side are to break the surface of expectations and find a space among the heavyweights in the Premier League.

Moyes, to be sure, must be more open to unleashing those bit-part members of the squad. Perhaps they could make a marked difference. There’s one youngster who is considered an elite talent, and yet he has not featured this term. Moyes must now unleash him.

Moyes must unleash "generational" youngster

This summer, Everton completed a wave of signings. The most notable addition was Jack Grealish on loan from Manchester City, while big buys included Dibling and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry.

But the arrival of Adam Aznou from Bayern Munich, for around £8m, has fallen under the radar. The 19-year-old is an attack-minded left-back, though his versatility permits moonlit roles further up the field and even in an alternative right-back placement.

It is his dribbling that stands out most. Last season, while out on loan in La Liga with Real Valladolid, Aznou averaged two dribbles per game, which stood as the second-highest success rate of any defender in the Spanish top flight (data via BBC).

The Moroccan has even been described as a “generational talent” by the aforementioned Kulig, and it’s curious to note he is alongside Branthwaite in having yet to make his first-team debut for Moyes’ side.

The difference is that he has not been injured, but rather, kept from the action by his manager. Seven times in succession, he has sat on the bench in the Premier League, and seven times in succession, he has remained unused.

There are concerns about the player’s physicality, but there is undoubtedly a reluctance on Moyes’ part to unleash youngsters. Last month, Dibling started against Crystal Palace and ended the 63-year-old’s 185-match streak of not naming a teenager in the starting line-up. Dibling was hooked at half-time.

It has been said that Everton are open to loaning the teenager out this winter, sending him somewhere for a short stay and with the view toward providing him with a suitable environment for growth.

There is reason to this possible route, but whether it is truly the best course of action for an Everton side in need of more dynamism down the flanks is another question. However, Branthwaite before him went out on loan with PSV Eindhoven and returned to the Premier League a better player for it.

Perhaps Aznou could emulate his fellow defender in this regard, heading out for the second half of the campaign before returning next summer and shining thereafter.

Vitalii Mykolenko is limited in his attacking output, with data platform FBref ranking the Ukrainian among the bottom 9% of full-backs in the Premier League this season for shot-creating actions per 90 (0.86). Likewise, Jake O’Brien has been dependable in his makeshift right-back role, but he is naturally a centre-back and his game reflects this.

The left-footed Branthwaite’s return and the robustness he adds could actually be perfect for Aznou as the Morocco international looks to establish himself on Merseyside. It’s a debate with substance on both sides: Aznou could help Everton with his progressiveness this year, and yet a slow, gradual integration might be better for his long-term development.

Patience was always going to be required for a young and talented full-back whose experience on the major stage is shallow. In this, Moyes’ decision to keep him on the sidelines is understandable.

However, many would not agree. There have been opportunities to unleash Aznou, and instead, he plies his trade under Paul Tait’s wing in the development squad.

There’s a sense that Everton are going to attack the January transfer window and target a new centre-forward and fresh full-backs besides. Might it be that Aznou is the answer to the club’s issues down the wings?

In La Liga last season, he won an average of 2.2 tackles and 5.8 duels per game (as per Sofascore), triumphing in 51% of that latter metric.

Work is needed, of course it is, but surely this wonderful and exciting prospect deserves a chance to shine after Everton won the summer tussle for his signature.

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