Everton travel to West London tomorrow for the latest crunch match at Brentford with a host of senior players still out, so should another of their youngsters Lewis Dobbin get a chance?
Dobbin has been fast-tracked into the first-team squad this season and certainly seems to have caught the eye of Everton manager Rafa Benitez.
Now, with the Blues’ facing their usual injury crisis and a number of the first-choice players unavailable he might just come into the reckoning for a place in the team as Benitez ponders how he’s going to line up tomorrow.
Given how many players are out it is creating a lot of problems for Benitez to resolve. He has particular issues in midfield and up front.
In the centre of the pitch Benitez is potentially missing his normal first-choice starters Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure. While up front yet again the manager is without both his first-choice strikers with Richarlison suspended and Dominic Calvert-Lewin still recovering his fitness.
And, in addition another forward Demarai Gray might also be out, although it’s possible his injury sustained against Manchester City isn’t a serious as first thought and he could still make it.
If he doesn’t though, Everton have lost all of their usual forward options and a player in Gray who has provided much needed additional pace and width since he signed in the summer.
One young wide player has already made enough of a mark to get some regular playing time in the first-team. That player Anthony Gordon has carved out a decent chance for himself to become a regular in the coming months with his ability, hard work and the maturity of his performances.
Dobbin isn’t perhaps as far forward in his development, although he has been offered a professional contract by the club and the youth team star appears to have the raw talents to potentially make an impression.
He’s got plenty of pace and ability on the ball and he has been impressing in recent Under-23 fixtures playing in a wide attacking position.
With Gray in all likelhood probably out for tomorrow that only leaves Gordon, Andros Townsend and Alex Iwobi as the regular wide attacking options.
Iwobi would not be a popular choice to start given his dreadfully uninspiring performances again this season and if Townsend and Gordon play wide in midfield, might Dobbin get a chance to play in Gray’s position behind the centre-forward?
It would certainly be a brave decision to do something like that and might not be expected by Brentford. But, I’d be very surprised if he was in the starting eleven and I think that is extremely unlikely given how cautious a coach Benitez tends to be.
However, with all the injury problems and poor form that he wrestling with surely there is a case for giving youngsters like Dobbin an opportunity especially with so many fixtures coming up in December.