Connor O’Neill of the Liverpool Echo has been discussing Gylfi Sigurdsson during a recent edition of the Royal Blue podcast.
The Icelandic midfielder has made eight league appearances for the Toffees so far this season, with four coming as a starter and four as a substitute. According to WhoScored, his performance rating stands at a somewhat underwhelming 6.45/10.
Since signing for the Merseysiders back in August 2017 in a deal believed to be worth £44.46m, the 31-year-old has represented the club on 123 occasions, contributing 24 goals and 18 assists (as per Transfermarkt).
The journalist was discussing Sigurdsson’s displays of late and responded to a listener’s question around why, despite his disappointing displays, he continues to be selected by Carlo Ancelotti. Here is what he had to say:
“Carlo Ancelotti clearly sees something in him that many of us don’t. He must be an unbelievable trainer or offer something incredibly good on the training ground, because it’s hard to properly judge why he is getting the game time he is right now. He’s been far from impressive so far this season but I actually think, in some respects, he’s been a beneficiary of Everton’s midfield not being at their best over the last couple of weeks.
“I think he’s kind of, almost by default, found himself back in the team as the best option or the one who probably put the best performance in out of the five lads who have been given chances in midfield over the last couple of weeks.
“But his dip in form is alarming.”
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TIF Thoughts on Connor O’Neill’s comments regarding Gylfi Sigurdsson…
Sigurdsson’s displays in the recent fixtures versus Manchester United, Southampton and Liverpool in the Premier League have seen him earn disappointing ratings of 6.06, 6.12 and 5.99/10 respectively (as per WhoScored), therefore, you can understand why questions are being asked with regards to whether or not he warrants a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
One thing that cannot be denied, however, is that the former Spurs and Swansea City man has plenty of top-flight experience and perhaps that is partly why Ancelotti continues to put his faith in the £16.2m-rated midfielder.