David Moyes says Adam Aznou is ‘not quite ready” to play first-team football yet | OneFootball

David Moyes thinks Adam Aznou is "not quite ready" for first-team football yet but hopes that the youngster will “grow” during his time at Everton.

Signed from Bayern Munich this summer, Aznou is yet to make his official debut for the club.

The 19-year-old Moroccan international who came up through Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy has had a tricky start to his career with the Blues. He was out injured during the initial few weeks, while left-back mainstay Vitalii Mykolenko was also on the sidelines.

However, even after returning from injury, Aznou has failed to enter David Moyes’s plans and is yet to play a single minute of first-team football. Moyes has even played James Garner and Seamus Coleman out of position instead of Aznou.

Talking about the teenager, Moyes said that his decision is not a reflection of Aznou’s ability, calling him a “talented player.” However, the manager also stressed the fact that Aznou needs to work on his “physicality.”

"He’s a young, talented player with a lot of potential. Left-backs are not easy to get and we’ve brought in a young player who we hope will grow in his time at Everton,” said Moyes.

Asked what Aznou needed to do in order to gain more responsibility, he said: “First of all, I want him to be with us, and I want him to train and get used to him.

“He's a really good footballer, a nice footballer. He's just got a bit of building up to do, a bit of physicality to get, so we'll do that and we'll see how he develops, but his footballing ability - he's a good player.”

While Moyes maintains that Aznou’s level surpasses the need for academy football, he hasn’t ruled out playing the youngster in some games for the U21s in order to build his physical abilities and match fitness.

“He's above that level, but it doesn't mean that he might need to get a few games - if we're struggling to get him game time, we might need to use him [in the U21s] at different times.

“But we'll monitor that as we go along, but he’s not quite ready to be playing for the first team at the moment.”

Reader Comments (35)

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During his time Bayern Munich, he played mostly for the reserve team and made two appearances for the senior team in the Bundesliga, along with one Champions League appearance. He was also sent on loan to La Liga's Real Valladolid for the second half of the 2024-25 season, where he made 13 league appearances.

Having him in a Dycheball like Everton against Wolves, would not have suited what he is use to.I doubt Moyes will play him, he won't be prepared to accommodate his development.

Pat Kelly 3 Posted 27/09/2025 at 19:26:33

Sounds like he has a long way to go to be up to Premier League standard... Just like Barry.

Dibling probably needs time too. And Röhl is already adding to his injury record.

Tony Abrahams 4 Posted 27/09/2025 at 19:37:09

Loads of ability, just not physically strong enough. What exactly will they try and do to get around this issue?

Young kids have got to play football to aid their development, so it sounds like Aznou is currently in quite a precarious position.

Kevin Molloy 5 Posted 27/09/2025 at 19:39:01

He was never going to be ready.

You only need to look at the fee we paid, it's practically a free transfer. So it's obviously a gamble that we can develop him.

Jim Bennings 6 Posted 27/09/2025 at 19:46:25

Why do none of our players ever sign and be ready?

Other clubs sign players at 19, 20, 21 who I've never even heard of and within a year they propel themselves as key components to that said club.

Look at players at Bournemouth, Brighton, Brentford, they all seem capable of pulling out unheard of gems.

We sign players like Chermiti that disappear up their own arse.

Ian Wilkins 7 Posted 27/09/2025 at 20:24:21

Strange acquisition really.

We needed left-back cover and brought in a youngster we were never going to play. So put Coleman at left-back. Bizarre.

Colin Glassar 8 Posted 27/09/2025 at 20:57:34

Jim, this has been going on for decades now. Our recruitment is very much some hits but more misses. Plus the high turnover of managers in recent years doesn't help.

We have no identity and our academy is shite.

Daniel A Johnson 9 Posted 27/09/2025 at 20:59:10

I echo other comments.

We pay millions for untested players and never play them.

Whilst other clubs unearth gems that are "ready".

Sean Kelly 10 Posted 27/09/2025 at 21:05:15

Our recruitment team need a good kicking. We sign young players for the future that are clearly not ready and send Armstrong out on loan again.

When exactly will they be ready? Is it when the are old enough, like Tarkowski or Coleman or Keane?

For fuck's sake, Moyes, give the young ones a shot and integrate them into the team. Dibling and Barry cost nearly £70M between them. Who in god's name signed them to be bench warmers???

Tony Abrahams 13 Posted 27/09/2025 at 21:13:19

We have signed a young player who has come through the Barcelona academy, before leaving to go to the biggest football club in Germany, and it's a gamble that we can develop him?

I'm sure I've read that Barcelona were disappointed when the kid went to Bayern, and I've definitely read that Bayern Munich were very disappointed when he chose to sign for Everton.

So, if it is a gamble to see if we can develop him (something I wouldn't argue with after reading where the manager thinks the kid is at), then I think it's fair to question why?

Especially when you look at his pedigree, including already having three senior caps for a country that came 4th in the last World Cup!

Oliver Molloy 14 Posted 27/09/2025 at 21:47:04

Moyes basically saying "I never bought him" in a nice way, perhaps.

Sean Kelly 15 Posted 27/09/2025 at 21:49:04

Tony I don’t have a problem with young players with potential being signed. The problem I have Moyes doesn’t have a great track record of developing players and bringing them to a higher level.

Daniel A Johnson 16 Posted 27/09/2025 at 21:59:11

I think it's more to do with being Moyes ready... As in over 6ft, age 28, with 200 Premier League appearances under your belt.

The money we have spent just isn't anywhere near the first team: Barry, Röhl, Aznou and Dibling.

Awful recruitment for a club with not much cash.

Kevin Molloy 17 Posted 27/09/2025 at 22:39:04

Tony yes two great clubs. but the fee, it's so low. For a player with this pedigree, you'd normally expect £20M?

I think this time next year he'll be in the team, but let's remember Moyes didn't even put Baines straight in. I reckon this kid will pick up a handful of appearances by season end.

And I think he's doing right by the kid; if he comes in and gets laced, the fanbase will label him a dud pretty sharpish.

Paul Hewitt 18 Posted 27/09/2025 at 22:49:40

Put him in the team.

He will either sink or swim.

Chris James 19 Posted 27/09/2025 at 23:44:20

Another outing for Schrodinger's club here?

Sounds a little like some are ready to castigate Moyes for not giving young players a chance when he doesn't feel they are ready, whilst also slamming him for not just picking the 'first team' against Wolves! ;-p

All recruitment is hit and miss, for every club. I'd say the record of the last 2 years has been light-years better than what came before.

1. Great deals (1st team): Grealish, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye, O'Brien2. Solid business (squad): Alcaraz, Iroegbunam3. Promising (but yet to be proven): Dibling, Röhl, 4. Jury's out (unknown or a bit meh): Aznou, Barry 5. Bad business: I'm not really sure any of the last two seasons' full-time signings can fit here. The likes of Broja and Lindstrom would arguably be in this, but they were loans.

Another year back we had Beto (2?) and Chermiti (4) and Danjuma (5) - but even then it wasn't at the level of Gbamin, Maupay, Tosun, Rondon, Delph, Bolasie, Ramirez, Niasse, Klaassen or even our version of Moise Kean.

Si Cooper 20 Posted 27/09/2025 at 23:50:09

Mykolenko has been fairly injury-free and is decent enough that this lad should have a bit of time to settle in / get up to speed. Right-back was the clear priority and we brought in no-one.

At his age, it is inevitable he will gain strength over the next couple of years. Hopefully he is close enough to Moyes's personal preference that half a season might get him there. I'd think a change of formation could get him there quicker.

When Branthwaite is back and able to cover behind him, as part of a back three, he could operate as a wing-back where his robustness should be less of an issue.

Alan J Thompson 22 Posted 28/09/2025 at 06:10:43

Whatever it was that Barcelona's La Masia or Bayern Munich or the Moroccan international team couldn't manage will obviously be put right at Finch Farm or on loan to Preston or Derby as has been the case with... erm... Robinson... and Dixon. And if all else fails, we can play an aging right-back on the left.

As Mr Moyes says, never mind the quality feel the width.

And at the very least, there's part of the problem.

The DoF - or whatever his title is, somebody anyway; buys 'promising player'.

Coach says, "He's not the right sort of left-back to do the job I want."

"Left-back, schmeft-back -- you're the expensively hired coach... coach him so he is!"

Tony Abrahams 24 Posted 28/09/2025 at 08:08:30

My only question is what is the best way to develop the kid?

Baines grew up in England so was used to English football, whereas this kid has obviously grown up being surrounded by a lot more thoroughbreds, and is now at a little bit of a crossroads regarding where he is at in his development stage right now.

Do you get him used to English football by getting him to play half a season in the U21s and then put him on loan? Or, given his obvious pedigree and the physical nature of English football right the way across the pyramid scheme, do you keep him at the club and try and introduce him slowly?

Seriously, I watched a League Two game yesterday and, if a player couldn't head the ball, then he definitely could not have played for either team as a defender yesterday.

I'm not questioning the kid, just what is the best way to aid his development. But when I remember the sheer desire of the Moroccan players during the last World Cup, and especially their ability to run, then I just hope Aznou has the same qualities.

Sam Hoare 25 Posted 28/09/2025 at 08:31:41

It's a good question, Tony. How do you develop young players who the manager has decided are not first-team ready? Youth team football is such a gulf below that it feels it won't help someone progress and neither will sitting on the bench.

For me, Aznou should have played vs Wolves if Mykolenko needed a rest. Coleman is not a left-back and Aznou was bought as cover and should have been allowed to be so.

Moyes is wary of youth and especially of players lacking experience in English football. If that's the case, then he should be out on loan, either to a Championship team or possibly a European one.

Caciedo may be a good example. He was bought for peanuts by Brighton and deemed not quite ready for the Premier League. He went out on loan to a Belgian team (Beerschot) and played well, then being recalled by Brighton after some injuries in centre-mid and never looked back. Likewise, Branthwaite was only trusted after his loan to PSV.

Our record for developing young players who haven't played in England before is truly abysmal. Over the last 8 or so years, the only success I can think of is Onana, and many on here would not describe him as such. Maybe Mina could qualify or would have if not for injuries. It's a huge issue when you compare to lots of the clubs around us.

Robert Tressell 27 Posted 28/09/2025 at 08:58:14

Aznou cost a tiny fee. It isn't a surprise that he's not quite ready. A player like that might be an 18-month project (possibly including a loan).

These young players at other clubs are almost never instant hits. Most of them spent time acclimatising or out on loan.

Bournemouth bought Juan Soler in January -- an extremely talented Argentine left-back. He's a year older than Aznou and has had 10 minutes of Premier League football. Does this mean Iraola doesn't trust youth? Or does it just mean that players need looking after properly?

Not all of these young players bought for tiny fees succeed. Aznou may not. Soler may not either. If it works out, then we have a first team player. If it doesn't work out, we can probably sell him for more or less what we bought him for.

Struggling to get him game time.Why? Did not show enough interest in the Caroboa Cup. Probably will struggle in the FA Cup, which there will be more pressure to stay in to get those needed special nights at Bramley Moore.

As for Moyes he is a stay in the Premier League type Manager, so his plan is short term and survival.All these type of Managers : Big Sam, Dyche, Moyes have never really given youth a chance when under pressure.Moyes in fairness did to some extent when things looked up, but his glass ceiling was then hit. There have been young players at Everton who have had to move on to get their career moving.This has been increasingly the case.I expect Aznou will be the same.All Barry and Dibling need is a injury and disappear.

The conundrum for Moyes is that these young players were bought in as part of a Strategic plan of which he was part of no matter how much he denies it.This Strategic plan was developed with the consent of all footballing departments to develop players for the first team so their will be accountability under this new regime. Service levels would have been agreed.

TFG were either not prepared to put up the packages in the Strategic plan or Moyes was not able to convinced the hardened Pros he seemed to want to bring in over the Summer transfer window.

Davy boy you are going to have to earn your corn and shut your mouth.

Maybe just maybe Moyes had no say in the signing of Anzou and this decision was taken by the TFG committee. I don't think Moyes had much of a say in the signing of Barry and maybe Dibling despite spending £35M on him; he is yet to make an appearance.

Last season, I don't think he saw Beto as the answer but to buy a youngster to replace him from abroad with little or no experience of the Premier League doesn'tt look like a move Moyes would make. Seems like we learnt nothing from signing Sandro from Spain; that didn't work out to well.

By the way, for those criticising Moyes for not playing youngsters... well he didn't hesitate to play Rohl at the earliest opportunity.

I have long argued the manager should be the person who decides who we buy... after all, it's the manager who gets sacked if the team don't do well, not a DoF or a committee as we seem to have now.

Obviously it will never be made public but I just wonder who did buy these players? TFG wanting to go down the route of buying youngsters and hoping they come good is a very risky strategy. I have only known 2 managers do anything with many kids in the team: they were Busby and Ferguson. But they were lucky in having some of the most talented kids all there at the same time.

Michael Kenrick 31 Posted 28/09/2025 at 13:56:54

So, Brian @29, your 'explanation' why Moyes has not given these various players enough minutes on the pitch so far this season is because he didn't buy them? And thus, he is reluctant to play them?

That, as you rightly say, is unknowable, although it doesn't seem to stop you repeating your theory — third time is a charm? — presumably helping it gain truth each time?

Perhaps we can apply the same approach to this gem:

"Dibling... is yet to make an appearance."

Hmmm really? Who was that young kid wearing the Number 20 shirt then? More than once.

Mark Taylor 32 Posted 28/09/2025 at 14:19:55

Robert, to be fair to Iraolo, he did given Soler a full 90 minutes in the EFL Cup and unlike us, he didn't have an injury to his only other left back.

Robert Tressell 33 Posted 28/09/2025 at 15:00:21

That's true Mark - although Soler is older and has been with Bournemouth since January.

I think the point still stands though - I think a lot of fans look enviously at young players breaking through elsewhere but miss the fact that they have been developed on loan or acclimatised with their club for a long time being breaking through. This is especially the case for bargain bin signings like Aznou.

Moyes handling of him isn't especially unusual, although some managers probably would have played him in the cup if fit.

Paul Kossoff 34 Posted 28/09/2025 at 15:52:15

Why buy him for cover if he's not ready. D M should take a look at this site,https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/statistik/vertragslosespieler Lots and lots of free defenders David, you really should try harder. And next time we need to buy players, please try and look for, ready to go, not, he's not ready to go just yet. Not rocket science David, is it. We are only four points above bottom three place, we ain't gotts time to wait for no development of signings. You see Dave, as far as cover for our defenders goes, we don't gotts none.

Yes Robert Anzou would have needed to go on loan somewhere as he wouldn't have got much development at Barca and Bayern.

Perhaps a loan would be in order, maybe to a top league like La Liga and maybe a smaller club like Valadolid where he could get some first team action. oops!!

You think 10 million is a small fee for a youngster who has only one year on his contract and the giants are desperate to keep him?

We don't know if he's ready or not because we can't judge but I can certainly tell you that Harrison Armstrong could certainly hold his own, I think he has performed better than Tim when given the chance.

Let's face it young Anzou couldn't have done much worse than an unfit Seamus playing in a role he hasn't done for years.

Yes, that's right Conor, Aznou had a loan at Getafe in the latter half of last season which is presumably why we've bought him. And all I think Moyes is saying is that he needs a bit more work (perhaps another loan) before he's first team ready for us. That's not particularly unusual.

And yes I do think the fee of £7.8m paid for Aznou is absolutely tiny. It will be a remarkable bit of business if (as we all hope) he develops into a regular starter for us.

Would he have done better than Coleman? Hard to say. Possibly. The whole team was pretty awful. As I said in the earlier post - some other managers might have played Aznou if fit. Martinez probably would have done, for example, since attacking full-backs were key to his tactical (and not very defensive) set up.

And you're welcome to tell me that Harrison Armstrong can hold his own because I haven't brought that up. I'm not sure what it's got to do with anything. Although I do notice that he's only been given 78 minutes across 3 games for Preston so far this season, so it appears they are easing him in fairly gently despite his obvious talent.

Robert no the answer was in the question - he wasn't at Getafe..

The fee you have quoted is his initial fee without add-ons. To put his fee into context Malick Fofana was quoted to us at 35million inclusive of add ons but he wanted Champions League football. This is one of the hottest properties in European football and they were looking £11.7 million per year of contract all in.

The point about Armstrong was nothing against you so you don't need to be so defensive, it was in reference to Moyes telling us Anzou wasn't ready, I would take it with a pinch of salt. Go back to Barkley or Armstrong or whoever you like as you yourself have now highlighted. In your previous post you implied that he probably wasn't ready and gave examples as to why, he may not be but I certainly wouldn't take David Moyes word for it was why Armstrong came into the mixer.