Sam Allardyce could not get the best out of Gylfi Sigurdsson at Everton but the midfielder is thriving in the Premier League under Marco Silva.
The contrast between the Gylfi Sigurdsson of last season to the one flying under Marco Silva right now is like night and day.
The Icelandic international endured a very difficult debut season at Goodison Park after his club-record £45 million move from Swansea City in 2017, with pragmatist Sam Allardyce restricting his freedom and forcing him into an unsuitable left-wing role.
The fact he did this to accommodate the plodding Wayne Rooney on occasions looks an even more baffling decision in hindsight.
But, since Silva arrived, he has released the shackles and Sigurdsson has shone. The 29-year-old has scored as many goals in eight games as he managed in 27 last season, netting his fourth of the campaign with a sublime long-range winner away at Leicester City on Sunday.
Speaking on Match of the Day (6 October, 10.25pm), Shearer has praised the decision to hand Sigurdsson a new role in his favoured central position.
“He’s playing in a different position and he’s got four goals already this season in the number ten position,” Shearer said. “It suits him a lot better and he looks a lot more comfortable there.”
Sigurdsson has scored 50 Premier League goals now and his wonder-strike against the Foxes was his 19th from outside the area.
With summer signings Bernard and Richarlison looking sharp, and Theo Walcott finding his feet in Everton colours, Silva could soon boast a seriously exciting forward line.
If only Allardyce had done what seemingly every Everton fan had been asking him to do – put Sigurdsson in a position where he could thrive.
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