Michael Ball has noted in a column for the Liverpool Echo that Jean-Philippe Gbamin must show ‘a lot more’ if the midfielder wants to prove himself at Everton after his injury issues.
Rafa Benitez handed Gbamin only his fifth appearance for the Blues at Wolves on Monday. The Ivorian has spent much of his time on Merseyside in the treatment room since a £25m move in 2019. Replacing Idrissa Gueye at Goodison Park after his £30m transfer to PSG.
Gbamin sustained a quadriceps injury in training within weeks of joining that kept him out for much of the season. But did not return until April this year, after requiring surgery on an achilles tendon injury, also sustained in training.
However, the 26-year-old’s return was short-lived, after suffering another injury in training, this time medial collateral ligament knee damage. Keeping the £65k-a-week anchor out of action until after Benitez replaced Carlo Ancelotti at the helm over the summer.
Benitez has been reluctant to afford Gbamin many opportunities to feature since opening Everton’s Carabao Cup win at Huddersfield Town. His appearance at Wolves on Monday in place of Abdoulaye Doucoure – out with a foot injury – being his first since.
Ball wants to see more from Gbamin at Everton
Gbamin struggled with the pace of the game against Wolves, so Benitez hauled the Everton midfielder off at half-time. Ball was not surprised he withdrew the 12-cap international at Molineux, with his former side struggling without Doucoure.
“Doucoure is a man mountain, and he does the running for two people. So, when he’s not there, we need to pack that midfield,” Ball wrote. “We need to get an extra man in there and sacrifice a place somewhere else as we keep getting overrun.
“One of the midfield pair [against Wolves] was Gbamin, who has come in for a lot of money and has had a difficult time with injuries to say the least. I know what that’s like – it’s tough both mentally and physically.
“He looked very slow and off the pace, so it was no surprise that he got taken off after 45-minutes. If he wants to make a name for himself, he’s got to show a lot more. I think playing two in midfield would have been a big ask even if he was fully fit.”
Can Gbamin establish himself under Benitez?
Gbamin will have wanted to demonstrate a better example of his talents to Benitez during Everton’s defeat at Wolves. But his performance did not offer much to admire, as he failed to get anywhere close enough to impacting proceedings.
Fabian Delph managed to impress Benitez once on as Gbamin’s replacement, so will feel confident of starting against Tottenham Hotspur. Everton will be desperate to respond at home to Spurs on Sunday in their first match under Antonio Conte. The Toffees have lost their last three Premier League fixtures and only won once in seven across all competitions.
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