Everton's Flanks Reimagined: McNeil, Ndiaye, and New Options
Everton’s flanks are being ripped up and rewritten. David Moyes spent most of last season trusting Dwight McNeil on the right and Iliman Ndiaye on the left. That pairing gave his side structure, work-rate and a clear identity out wide.
Now it’s on the verge of disappearing.
McNeil is closing in on a move to Crystal Palace as part of a revived deal that now involves Brennan Johnson, while Al Hilal are circling Ndiaye. Moyes could walk out on opening day with two entirely different wide players to the ones who carried him through last year.
McNeil, Johnson and a deal that would not die
McNeil’s exit has been coming for a while. Back in February, he was all but a Palace player. The clubs agreed a loan-to-buy move that would have become a £20m permanent transfer this summer, the winger passed his medical, and the move looked done.
Then the paperwork collapsed against the deadline clock.
The fallout went public. On social media, McNeil’s partner Megan Sharpley criticised Palace, highlighting the emotional toll of a move that had seemed certain, only to be snatched away at the last moment and, in her words, “with absolutely no explanation”.
For a while, that felt like the end of it. It wasn’t. The deal is back on the table, this time with Brennan Johnson included in the exchange. The details of the structure are still being finalised, but the direction of travel is clear: McNeil out, Johnson in, and a very different look to Everton’s right flank.
Ndiaye interest and a left side in limbo
On the opposite wing, there is more uncertainty. Al Hilal have shown interest in Ndiaye, who spent much of last season cutting in from the left for Moyes. If that interest hardens into a bid Everton accept, Moyes could lose both of his first-choice wide men in the same window.
That would rip up his blueprint in one go.
Grealish question hangs over Goodison
One obvious solution would be the familiar face who lit up Goodison Park for half a season. Jack Grealish, on loan from Manchester City last year, played 22 times and transformed Everton’s attacking play before a foot injury in January abruptly ended his campaign. In the first half of the season he looked every inch the marquee loan: drifting inside, demanding the ball, dragging Everton up the pitch.
A return would change everything again for Moyes. Right now, though, it remains uncertain. No agreement, no guarantees, just the memory of how good he was and the knowledge that his absence helped drag Everton back towards the pack.
Dibling: £40m and still waiting
If Grealish does not come back, Moyes may have to look inward. Tyler Dibling arrived from Southampton last summer for £40m, a fee that screamed “immediate impact”. Instead, his first year on Merseyside became a stop-start, transitional season.
He started only four Premier League games. Once Grealish walked through the door, Dibling slipped further into the shadows, watching the big moments from the periphery. There were flashes, but not enough to force Moyes’ hand.
This summer offers a reset. With McNeil likely to go and Ndiaye’s future unclear, the pathway that was blocked a year ago could suddenly open. The question is whether Dibling can seize it quickly enough in a squad that will not wait forever.
George pushes his case
Tyrique George is another internal option with a very different profile. Signed permanently from Chelsea for £24m after a successful loan spell on Merseyside, he made 11 appearances last season, starting once. The raw numbers are modest. The impression he made on Moyes was not.
The Everton manager described him as an “excellent boy with an excellent work-rate” at the end of that initial four-month spell. That kind of praise matters. Managers lean on players they trust when the squad starts to creak.
George brings energy, pressing and a willingness to run without the ball – all traits Moyes values. If Johnson arrives to take one flank, George could be the one trusted to scrap for the other, especially if the market does not deliver a readymade starter.
Rohl, the wildcard
Then there is Merlin Rohl. Used only sparingly out wide last season, he is not a natural headline act in this conversation. Yet his versatility gives Moyes another lever to pull. In a squad being reshaped on the fly, a player who can fill gaps and do a job between the lines or on the flank becomes invaluable.
Rohl will not be the first name fans think of when they picture Everton’s new-look attack. He may, however, be one of the names Moyes leans on when injuries bite and fixtures pile up.
A new Everton, starting from the touchline
Strip it back and the picture is stark. The wide pairing that underpinned Everton for most of last season is on the brink of being dismantled. In its place, Moyes is juggling a revived McNeil–Johnson deal, serious interest in Ndiaye, the uncertainty of a Grealish return, and the development curve of Dibling, George and Rohl.
This is not a tweak. It is a rebuild on the touchline. How quickly Moyes solves it will go a long way to deciding what Everton look like when the season starts – and what they are capable of when it really begins to bite.
