Andros Townsend has been speaking to talkSPORT about his Everton teammate Neal Maupay after the Frenchman scored on his second appearance for the Toffees.
What’s the story?
Well, the 26-year-old arrived from Brighton in a deal worth £16m back in August, and has become an instant hit at Goodison Park after scoring in the 1-0 win over West Ham on Sunday.
However, Townsend admits that he “hated” Maupay before they became teammates on Merseyside.
Speaking to talkSPORT, the 31-year-old said: “He’s a player that when he’s in your dressing room, you love him. But as an opposition you absolutely hate him. He knows how to get under your skin, he knows the dark arts of football.”
That ill feeling has surely dissipated after Maupay won Everton their first three points of the season.
The Everton No.20 showed real sharpness to turn quickly after receiving a pass from Alex Iwobi, before smashing a snapshot beyond Lukasz Fabianski to fire the Toffees to victory.
It came at a vital time for Frank Lampard and the Toffees, as pressure would’ve surely started to grow if Everton had gone seven Premier League games without a win.
Everton fans will love Neal Maupay
If we’re being critical, Everton fans shouldn’t expect to see many goals from Maupay – he is roughly a one in four striker having netted 27 goals in 104 Premier League appearances.
However, we believe the Goodison Park faithful will still grow fond of the Frenchman due to his tireless work rate.
As Townsend states, Maupay is a player who simply gets under the opposition’s skin, so his tendency to be the pantomime villain – as well as someone who will work hard for Everton – is a solid combination.
The £16m man is no Richarlison.
However, bringing him to Goodison Park as a replacement for the £60m Brazilian, earning £44m profit in the process, seems to be shrewd business from Lampard and Kevin Thelwell if Sunday’s performance is anything to go by.
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