Michael Ball has been left impressed by Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye so far.
The 24-year-old winger joined from Marseille in the summer transfer window for £15m on a five-year deal, and he has been “fantastic” so far.
He has been one of the bright sparks in the Toffees side that lost four games in a row and only picked up their first win last week in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Goodison Park.
The former Toffees defender told the Liverpool Echo on 30 September that the winger is “exciting” to watch and he could become the “shining light” at the club.
Ndiaye is a tricky winger who can bamboozle opposition defenders with his unpredictable movements.
Ball said: “We know what McNeil is going to do, I think everyone said ‘shoot’ before he got it because we know he’s got the quality to find that corner but when Iliman Ndiaye gets the ball, you don’t have a clue what he’s going to do with it. He can go left, right or through the middle and it’s exciting, as fans it gets us on our feet.
“We need to finish teams off though and help Ndiaye to be the shining light. He’s had a fantastic start and it’s great to see him on the pitch for the full 90 minutes because the last thing that tired defenders want to face is a tricky winger.”
Ndiaye is unpredictable but Everton players need to do more
The Toffees came from behind against Palace to pick up their first win, thanks to two second-half goals from Dwight McNeil.
The former Burnley winger scored from 25 yards out to level the tie, followed by a close ranger finish after Jack Harrison found him in the box with a delicious cross.
While McNeil is direct, the same cannot be said about Ndiaye, who can trouble tiring defenders with his mazy runs and unpredictable movements.
Ball is absolutely spot on that this is one area that the Toffees need to capitalise on, and they must provide Ndiaye with all the support to win games because he can make a difference with his quality.
This is one of the major problems that Toffees have faced under Dyche’s leadership. They are pedestrian and rely heavily on individual brilliance. There is little creativity because the system and the tactics are so rigid.
In other Everton news, Michael Ball was left seriously unimpressed by one Toffees player after what he did v Crystal Palace.
