Everton boss Marco Silva has said that a “technical decision” made him drop winger Ademola Lookman for the 2-0 loss to Manchester City on Wednesday.
The Toffees lost 2-0 courtesy of goals from Aymeric Laporte and Gabriel Jesus, and Silva has revealed that he preferred to have the likes of Cenk Tosun, Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson as his attacking options for the fixture at Goodison Park – despite the £23,000-a-week [Spotrac] ace being fit.
However, the manager has said that Lookman could start this Saturday’s match against Watford after being left out on Wednesday.
“He was fit. It was a technical decision. But he is available for the game and is on the squad list,” Silva said, as quoted by the Echo.
OPINION
It is actually rather baffling why Silva dropped Lookman for their clash against City on Wednesday. Of all players, he is the one that should have been in contention. The likes of Tosun and Sigurdsson have been woeful lately and it remains to be seen why Silva chose to have them as his attacking options over a player who has had a relatively good season. Fans were no doubt puzzled why Lookman missed out on the squad entirely in mid-week, as Silva’s explanation does not even provide a good enough reason. They will have their fingers crossed that this was a one-time decision by Silva, because if anyone deserves to be axed, it is Tosun and Sigurdsson. Lookman possesses the lightning pace that would have worked wonders against City on Wednesday – and it makes you think about what could have happened if he had been allowed to feature. However, it is good to see him in contention this week, as the Toffees desperately need to get their season back on track.