Ndiaye 2.0: Moyes can keep Beto firing by starting “phenomenal” Everton ace

Everton have been riding on the crest of a wave since David Moyes returned to the Goodison Park helm after an 11-year absence.

Immediate relegation concerns are a thing of the past, with the Toffees having gone five games unbeaten in the Premier League, four wins, one draw.

Manchester United travel to Goodison Park this afternoon having endured a miserable start to life under Ruben Amorim. The Portugal tactician has led 21 fixtures since replacing the deposed Erik ten Hag, winning nine – that’s a win rate of 43%.

Both sides are nursing high-piled injury problems, and though the Toffees will be confident that they can score another big win with Moyes in the dugout, the recent form against the Red Devils leaves plenty to be desired.

Everton’s recent form against Man United

Moyes draped the curtain on his successful first stint at Everton, leaving to replace the irreplaceable Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United.

It didn’t go to plan, but it was an impossible task. Everton will hope that their Scottish manager can strike against his one-time outfit this afternoon, ending a six-game losing run against them

The continuous defeats have come home and away, but Everton will take little comfort from their record against today’s opponents on Merseyside, losing four of their previous five in all competitions.

Everton have also been defeated on their past four visits to Old Trafford, holding United to draws in the previous couple. All told, the Red Devils are something of a bogey team for them, consistently turned over despite the interminable and relentless problems that have hit the Theatre of Dreams like a cannonade.

The injury-hit sides will both feel that their enemy is there for the taking, and Moyes will know that his side’s chances lie with Beto, the club’s only fit centre-forward who has scored four goals from his past three Premier League matches.

Jack Harrison could be the key

Under Sean Dyche, Everton welcomed Harrison to the fold at the start of the 2023/24 campaign on a season-long loan deal, then extending his stay for the duration of the current campaign.

There’s no question that the Leeds United man has struggled this season, but he has shown improvements under Moyes’ wing in recent weeks and will be tasked with supplying Beto from the left in the absence of Iliman Ndiaye, whose injury in the Merseyside Derby has ruled him out for as many as six weeks.

Though Harrison has never scored and never won against United across nine outings, he has been praised in the past for stepping up for The Whites after Raphinha left for Barcelona, praised for his “phenomenal” form by football content creator Conor McGilligan, and could now follow that vein with Everton’s Senegalese sensation sidelined.

However, if you look at his form across the campaign, compared to last season, you see that Harrison has regressed across the board, yet to register a single goal involvement.

The underlying data highlights his struggles, and given that he’s approaching the end of his loan stay on Merseyside, it’s likely that Moyes will decide to cast him out.

Unless that is, Harrison recovers his finest form over the coming months. And indeed, the 28-year-old has showcased more of his trademark energy and initiative over the past several months.

During last weekend’s victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, Harrison had the onerous task of replacing the brilliant Ndiaye.

But he impressed, bringing drive and tenacity to the left flank. The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland actually hailed Harrison for putting in a “real shift,” winning six duels, as per Sofascore, after emerging on top in eight of such challenges in the previous match, against Liverpool.

Given that FBref record Harrison, a dynamic and combative midfielder, to be one of Ndiaye’s most comparable Premier League players this season, it’s clear that he’s up for the task.

There’s been a discernible change in confidence as if a switch has been flicked, and Harrison will no doubt feel that he can continue this rich vein and bring an electric presence to the wing once again, stretching Man United’s lines and creating chances and space for Beto to feed upon.

Having sparked a friendship with new recruit Charly Alcaraz, the Spanish-speaking Harrison is beginning to play with a new lease of life, as are Everton as a whole.

His multi-dimensional game is something that will serve Beto well as the centre-forward looks to keep up his purple patch, having himself won 28 duels across the past three Premier League matches – a rather incredible feat.

It all points toward the start of something new for an Everton side who will be determined to put their Man United hoodoo behind them and create further space. Indeed, the Blues’ recent run of form has seen them leapfrog Amorim’s beleaguered outfit, potentially moving four points clear this afternoon, should they get the three points.

Harrison will need to be on his a-game, no doubt. However, the left-footer could service the 6 foot 4 Beto’s aerial expertise given that he’s now playing on the left wing due to Ndiaye’s continued absence.

There is an exciting technical quality to the Englishman’s game, it’s just struggled to express itself amid testing circumstances at Goodison Park.

But he’s attempted ten crosses in his past two matches and will eventually find Beto’s noggin, should he persevere. United are hardly the most resistant defensive outfit in the Premier League, and this could be a wonderful opportunity for Moyes’ Everton to prove that they are the real deal.

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