David Moyes has obvious Iliman Ndiaye replacement as Everton injury concern emerges, it’s not Tyler Dibling
Iliman Ndiaye is a doubt for Everton’s game against Aston Villa this weekend but David Moyes should not call on Tyler Dibling to make his first start for his new club despite fans’ clamours.
Iliman Ndiaye was one of the Toffees’ standout players last term after he joined the club from Marseille for a fee of around £15million [BBC], and he has continued in the same vein of form so far this season.
His talismanic ability from attacking midfield was a rare shining light for the club in 2024-25 after some years of turmoil under Sean Dyche, and it was imperative for them to keep him this summer ahead of their first campaign at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
They managed to do just that, but his good start to the new campaign is now potentially set to be derailed after David Moyes confirmed ahead of the Everton‘s clash against Aston Villa that Ndiaye is a doubt due to an injury picked up on international duty with Senegal [Everton].
It certainly seems unlikely that the Scot will risk his long-term fitness for one game, and even though many Everton fans will be expecting Tyler Dibling to start instead after his £35million summer move from Southampton, statistics show that another one of Moyes’ wingers deserves his chance to shine.
David Moyes should start Dwight McNeil ahead of Tyler Dibling vs Aston Villa
Moyes will likely be tempted to hand Dibling his first start in a royal blue shirt, but the statistics show that he should stick to a tried and tested player in Dwight McNeil if he wants to replicate Ndiaye’s attacking prowess as best as possible.
Aside from being a vastly more experienced top-flight player, with 227 Premier League appearances compared to Dibling’s 33, 25-year-old McNeil contributed a lot more in less minutes than the 19-year-old did at Southampton last term, with four goals and six assists in 1371 minutes compared to two goals and no assists in 1874 minutes [Fotmob].
McNeil was more creative last season, albeit he was playing in a better team, with 37 chances created to Dibling’s 20, and he also worked harder off the ball with his won possession in the final third at 0.85 times per 90 compared to the ex-Saints man’s 0.24 [Fotmob].
Not only that, but his underlying stats also prove that he was a bigger threat in front of goal, with 53% shot accuracy to Dibling’s 45%, 1.25 shots per 90 to Dibling’s 0.96 and 0.36 combined xG and xA per 90 to the 19-year-old’s 0.19 [Fotmob].
Everton will need to be a real threat going forward if they are to beat Villa, despite their poor start to the season, and it is clear that, based off these figures, McNeil should be named in the starting eleven over Dibling if Ndiaye cannot play.
Dibling could be special but is not the finished article right now
While those stats paint the picture of where each player stands in their careers right now, it is also fair to point out that Dibling was partaking in his first full season as a professional in 2024-25, so clearly has a lot of room to grow.
In fact, he has been regarded as one of the best young talents in English football since he burst onto the scene at Southampton last year, and it was no shock to see the likes of Liverpool and Newcastle interested in Dibling at the start of the summer window.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 44 | 4 | 3 |
While he definitely has a bright future, he has not yet shown much in terms of output to insinuate that he is ready to consistently start top-flight games for a club like Everton, who will want to convincingly beat Villa to continue their great start to the new season.
Starting McNeil therefore seems like a no-brainer this weekend, especially as bringing Dibling on late in the game against tired legs could massively work in the Toffees’ favour.