Idrissa Gueye has just proven he’s nowhere near retirement, David Moyes will love what Everton star did
Everton supporters may soon have to come to terms with Idrissa Gueye finishing his career at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Other than Gueye slapping his own teammate, Michael Keane, in recent weeks, the holding midfielder has been a constant for not just David Moyes, but the Toffees over the past four years.
The 36-year-old has started 13 of their 17 Premier League games so far this season, but with the player jetting off to AFCON with Senegal, the club must deal without him for the foreseeable future.
He had already departed when Everton lost 1-0 to Arsenal, leaving the Toffees 10th in the league standings, but just five points off the Champions League spots halfway through the campaign.
Idrissa Gueye continues to star for club and country at 36 years of age
Moyes can certainly thank Gueye for a lot of the points gained, though his efforts can sometimes go under the radar, possibly because of Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye starring in attack.
However, at 36 years of age, there is no denying that the Senegalese international is well into the twilight of his career, and other than James Garner, there are very few who can replace him.
He is also a standout performer at international level, with 93 caps under his belt, but due to his age, Moyes and his staff should be keeping a close eye on his fitness levels out at AFCON.
After just one game, though, there are huge signs that Gueye is nowhere near finished with his footballing career just yet, putting on a show during Senegal’s 3-0 win over Botswana on Tuesday, 23 December.
Everton star runs the show in Senegal’s opening AFCON win
The veteran absolutely ran the show, playing the full 90 minutes as a box-to-box midfielder. As well as completing the most passes in the match, he also completed the most dribbles on the field [FotMob].
Not only did he win a tackle and 71 per cent of his ground duels, but he also had 113 touches, created three separate chances, and had an important shot blocked in the opening 30 minutes.
He absolutely proved that he has what it takes to last a couple more seasons in the Premier League, at the very least, and that will come as huge news to the manager back on Merseyside.
Replacing Gueye in the centre of the park could be one of the most difficult transfers at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, so his performances will help ease some of that stress over the coming seasons.