Everton: Dyche must unleash Demarai Gray

The Everton manager must unleash the talented forward following another injury blow.

Everton will host Bournemouth at Goodison Park today in their final Premier League clash of the season, with everything still left to play for.

The Toffees are currently two points clear of the relegation zone but will need a victory to comfortably secure top-flight football once again over their competitors Leeds United and Leicester City.

Sean Dyche will be feeling the pressure when he leads his team out in front of the home support this afternoon, as he will know how catastrophic it would be to suffer relegation for the first time since the Premier League began.

Unfortunately for the Everton boss, injury issues have presented themselves once again ahead of the final day, with both Nathan Patterson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin expected to be unavailable for selection.

Dyche took to his pre-match press conference to confirm that the pair are unlikely to feature against the Cherries:

“They won’t be fit.”

“We realized when he [Calvert-Lewin] got injured in the first game that it wasn’t going to be a short injury. We knew we would have to find a way of working with that. We have found that way and it’s important we do that.”

“Patto has come into the side more latterly and performed well. We lose him as well.”

Due to the striker’s absence, the manager will need to find another focal point to secure Everton’s survival, and it could be a great opportunity for Demarai Gray to return to the side.

Will Demarai Gray start vs Bournemouth?

The 26-year-old has been an inconsistent feature since the arrival of the former Burnley boss but has been a much more reliable provider of goal contributions than some of his positional peers.

Gray is the second-highest goalscorer in the Everton squad with six goals and one assist delivered in all competitions this season, which has been a far better output than Neal Maupay, Ellis Simms, and Calvert-Lewin’s combined.

Not only that, the £25k-per-week ace – hailed “inspirational” by Martin Keown – has undeniable pace and creativity which could cause chaos for Bournemouth, averaging 1.2 key passes, 1.7 shots on goal, and one successful dribble per game so far.

Indeed, Gray is most commonly deployed in the wider positions of the forward line, but has often played in the center-forward role this season to make up for Calvert-Lewin’s absence and had success in the position scoring in the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest in March.

With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for Dyche to unleash Gray in the Toffees’ attacking threat this afternoon, as a moment of magic from the Everton whiz could be their saving grace at full-time.