Alex Iwobi dropping to the bench against Manchester City last weekend was a shock to many Everton fans, particularly given Bernard’s exclusion through injury.
After signing in the summer for around £28million, the Nigerian has begun life well on Merseyside, with many expecting him to become a major creative outlet for Marco Silva’s side.
However against the Premier League champions he was dropped to the bench where Theo Walcott lined up for his first start of the season in Iwobi’s place, although his time on the pitch was short lived.
Everton eventually lost 3-1 with Iwobi coming on inside five minutes to replace an injured Walcott, before being subbed off later in the second half.
Discussing on Twitter, several Everton fans weighted in on Iwobi’s position at the club currently, with some seeing him as undroppable while others haven’t yet been convinced of his quality.
Twitter: Alex Iwobi should be the first name on the Everton team sheet (@nsno)
Twitter: @nsno Don’t agree with that at all, thought he was poor today. (@efclewiss)
Twitter: @nsno At the moment it’s Delph (@efcdoyley)
Twitter: @nsno Not sure what you saw but he was the worst player on the pitch he didn’t look fit. He was very slow to react… https://t.co/UzW9tDqC91 (@JamesBrownEFC)
Twitter: @nsno TBH I’d of subbed him at half time. Thought he had an awful game. (@Tomskiefc)
Twitter: @nsno Awful shout. Slows the pace down, needs to be running down the line and he just doesn’t. He was poor today (@Dom_EFC)
Twitter: @nsno He’s been shocking (@damianefcwelch)
Read Everton Verdict
Iwobi for me shouldn’t be the first name on the teamsheet, but at this point he should definitely be starting. Without him in the line-up, Everton lack a certain creative edge that they possess with him, and his influence is usually felt in the Toffees’ play.
Fabian Delph, Jordan Pickford and Lucas Digne are all more guaranteed to start than Iwobi currently, but the former Arsenal man is still so crucial to the club’s plans going forward.
