Everton can no longer ignore Jake O'Brien after new weapon reveal vs Hull City

David Moyes once again named Jake O'Brien on the Everton bench against Hull City.

The Irishman was a regular under the Scotsman last season, starting a majority of games at right-back.

But with the arrival of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, he has found his minutes for the L3 outfit few and far between.

O'Brien, though, is a natural centre-back, and has often proved his worth in the centre of defence.

Nonetheless, Moyes' treatment of the 25-year-old has been strange, but against Hull, he did eventually throw him into the action.

With the Everton man putting his fellow defenders to shame in one statistic during the game.

David Moyes is overlooking a key Jake O'Brien strength at Everton

O'Brien will undoubtedly be frustrated with his minutes at Everton, especially after producing a strong international break away with the Republic of Ireland.

Against Hull City, he would have been hoping injury to Vitalii Mykolenko meant good news, with Jarrad Branthwaite always the likely option to push out to the left from central defence.

Moyes did make that decision, but instead of the Irishman - who only came on in the 78th minute - he called on Michael Keane to make his first appearance of the season.

But in that 12-minute cameo, O'Brien proved one thing over the rest of the Everton defence.

No defender for the Toffees produced a quicker top speed than his 32.7 kilometres per hour, as per FotMob.

Furthermore, among natural centre-backs who featured, the Irishman also topped that list.

Pace at the back can often be important, and it is a trait that James Tarkowski and Keane can be guilty of in the opposite.

Moyes should not ignore this weapon that O'Brien can utilise, as it could be a defensive difference-maker in the battle for European places.

What is next for O'Brien at Everton?

If O'Brien continues to face spells on the bench, the defender could end up pushing to leave the Toffees.

The winter window is just a few months away, and teams will be drawing up their early shortlists.

Football Insider has previously shared that a January move for O'Brien cannot be ruled out.

If the 25-year-old continues to be a starting XI outcast, then that would not be a surprise.

Everton would ultimately be hurting themselves, though, as O'Brien is a quality defender who can make a difference.