This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Everton’s Djibril Sidibe has been tipped to feature in Marco Silva’s starting XI by The Athletic’s Greg O’Keefe.
What did he say?
The Frenchman joined Everton this summer on a season-long loan from Monaco. He has since struggled to nail down a consistent spot at right-back, playing just 211 minutes in the Premier League so far. Sidibe has, however, played in two out of the three League Cup fixtures.
Plus, with Seamus Coleman playing 90 minutes against Watford on Tuesday, perhaps it shows Sidibe has become the main right-back in the league.
When asked by a fan if Sidibe will return to the XI, O’Keefe replied, per The Athletic: “Sidibe should be back in and I suspect he will be. Seamus had a really difficult first half against Watford.”
Time is up for Coleman
The Irishman has been a regular for Everton in the right-back slot for a number of years, but his form this season has been questionable throughout. The Frenchman is only on loan but Marco Silva should look to include him throughout the season to assess his credentials ahead of a potential permanent deal.
Coleman was sent off for club and country within 10 days of each other in October, and that’s done nothing to aid his reputation.
The 31-year-old has, in fact, made the same amount of fouls per game as he has tackles in the Premier League this season. As shown on WhoScored, Coleman has averaged 0.9 fouls per game and 0.9 tackles per match.
On the other hand, Sidibe has averaged 3.3 tackles each game and 1.3 dribbles per match going forward.
Indeed it could now be time for the Monaco loanee to take the spot as Everton’s main right-back.