Will Tyrique George get a chance? | OneFootball

At the start of February, ToffeeWeb published a profile on Tyrique George, following Everton’s deadline-day acquisition of the winger, on loan from Chelsea with an option to buy.

That piece ends with this: “…If he is given a chance by [David] Moyes, and if he takes it, then having the England youth international on Everton’s books is a tantalising prospect.”

Since then, George has made just five appearances, starting only once, with that start coming against Bournemouth at home in February — a match that Everton went on to lose 2-1, not that the defeat was anything to do with George particularly.

George has tallied up just 104 minutes of Premier League action for the Toffees. Since he joined, only Merlin Rohl and Tyler Dibling have seen fewer minutes of the players to actually feature, so that is not counting the likes of Adam Aznou and Nathan Patterson, while Carlos Alcaraz has been injured.

But it does paint a picture.

The concern when George — who turned 20 a couple of days after he joined — was signed was that it was simply another young player coming into a squad in which the existing young players, like Dibling and Aznou, had already not been given much, if any, game time.

There was no risk attached as such, though. George has come in on loan, and Everton will at least have the time to assess him in training. The early signs were positive, with Moyes reportedly extremely impressed.

Yet those early impressions have not translated into game time — for the opportunity for George to show what he can actually do on the pitch, not just at Finch Farm.

Moyes has instead reverted to using Dwight McNeil, the player George was essentially brought in to replace.

McNeil, of course, was bound for Crystal Palace on deadline day, until a last-minute change of heart from the Eagles. By then, the George deal was already in the final stages, and Everton did not pull the plug.

McNeil’s comeback is a feel-good story in some aspects, and he has played well as of late. Whether he has a future at the club is up in the air — the 26-year-old will have a year left on his contract come the summer, so Everton will need to make a decision, and it still seems likely he will be sold.

But right now, Moyes is preferring McNeil’s reliability — particularly out of possession — to what one can only imagine he sees as the unreliability of the likes of George and Dibling, who are both England youth internationals.

At least part of this, though, must be put down to Iliman Ndiaye.

With Jack Grealish out, Moyes has now moved Ndiaye back out to the left, and while the Senegalese is perfectly adept at playing on either flank, it is clear he is more comfortable cutting in onto his stronger, right side. He is more of a goal threat, more able to pick up the pockets and dribble at defenders, whereas often on the opposite side, Ndiaye was too far wide, having to compensate for the lack of width offered by (usually) Jake O’Brien behind him.

Ndiaye, simply put, is Everton’s best outfielder, and as such, he will be left on the pitch as long as is necessary. McNeil is then seen as ahead of Dibling in the pecking order on the right, and that leaves George in a bit of limbo.

It is not often Everton are charging clear of teams in the final stages. So it is not often that Moyes will feel like he can take Ndiaye off.

He either needs Ndiaye on the pitch for creativity, or for his ability to keep possession, which is second-to-none (well, at least with Grealish out injured) in tight spaces and to buy time for Everton to get up the pitch.

George did come on in the latter stages of the 2-0 win over Burnley, but then in Everton’s commanding 3-0 win over Chelsea last time out, the cruel irony is that he was unavailable due to the loan rules. More valuable minutes missed.

With crucial games against Brentford and Liverpool on the immediate horizon, and then a trip to relegation-battling West Ham followed by a home game against Manchester City, then if Ndiaye and McNeil remain fit, it is difficult to see where George gets a start.

He must of course continue to work hard in training and keep himself in the manager’s thoughts, but even then, Moyes possibly sees Harrison Armstrong ahead of him if Everton are looking to cling onto a result.

With just seven games remaining this term, George is running out of time to make an impact, and as such, running out of time to potentially show Everton he is worth buying in the summer (the purchase option in the loan move is rumoured to be just north of £20million).

That is a shame, as George has plenty to offer — he is direct, quick and loves a shot.

But Everton will need to buy players ready to make an impact on the first team this summer, no matter their age, and if George has spent the best part of six months sitting on the bench, he will not have proved his credentials. Plus, why would he then want to join permanently anyway, unless of course, the club have made it clear that this is all part of a plan.

You would like to think that is the case, but given McNeil is now back in the team — despite having had one foot in the door at Selhurst Park just two months ago — it seems unlikely.

There is no reason to be too angry or upset, but even with Europe on the cards, Moyes needs to consider George as an option, and so too Dibling. This isn’t just about their development, it’s about recognising that they may be able to offer something different in order to pick up potentially valuable points in the run-in.

Only then will the club be able to make a truly informed decision on whether or not George could be a feasible transfer for the summer, because in many other ways, he fits the bill.

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Mike Hayes 1 Posted 08/04/2026 at 13:52:52

All the younger players should be given the chance... otherwise, it's pointless having them.

There should be (if there already is one) a certain criterion for loaning players in that they should play a certain amount of minutes to get them up to speed, including a full game at least.

George, Dibling, Röhl, Aznou, Alcaraz, and Armstrong need the opportunity to prove a point and that they are more than capable of playing Premier League football.