Everton head into the international break on the back of three wins in eight days, sitting in the top half of the Premier League with a League Cup quarter final still to come. Most of the praise has gone, rightly, to Thierno Barry and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The quieter story of the week sits out on the flanks, where David Moyes is asking two young wingers, Tyler Dibling and Tyrique George, to grow up in public.
Judging young attackers is difficult for everyone who tries, from the dugout to the data room. Clubs, scouts and analysts all want to separate a hot streak from lasting progress, and so do the technology firms behind football’s live numbers, such as Altenar, sports betting solution provider to operators in more than 30 regulated markets. On the pitch and in the data alike, one bright evening is a single reading, not a verdict.
Wolves Showed What Dibling Can Be
The best version of Dibling in blue so far arrived on 17 September, when Everton edged Wolves by a single goal to reach the fourth round of the League Cup. As ToffeeWeb’s verdict on that night put it, this was a coming of age moment for the winger, who was then aged 20.
He ran at his full back, reached the byline, and slid a lovely pass through for Brennan Johnson, whose shot was kept out by an inspired Joao Virginia. When Wolves broke straight after that miss, it was Dibling who sprinted back to make the vital tackle, the kind of work Moyes values as much as any dribble. In the 80th minute he finally got his reward, prodding a pass into Carlos Alcaraz for the only goal and his first Everton assist.
Alan Irvine, who spoke to the media afterwards, described him as a very quiet lad who had looked far more at home since returning for preseason, after a difficult first year.
Coventry Showed How Far He Still Has to Go
Seven weeks later, Dibling was handed his first Premier League start of the season against Frank Lampard’s Coventry City. For an hour, it did not go to plan. As the match analysis after the Coventry win noted, Everton badly missed Jack Grealish’s composure, George was frustrating, and Dibling simply could not get into the game.
Then Coventry scored, and the side woke up. Dibling took on his man and chipped in the cross that led, via Vitalii Mykolenko, to Barry’s equaliser. George created the second goal and grew in confidence after it. Everton won by three goals to one, a flattering scoreline, but the youngsters’ late response mattered.
Why Moyes Keeps Faith
Moyes did not panic when his team fell behind, keeping the same players on and getting his reward. That choice says a lot about how he sees Dibling, George and Harrison Armstrong, whose industry in midfield has become a constant this term.
There is a practical reason too. Everton have a small squad, and the winter schedule is about to get crowded. Grealish will return, but the young wide players will still be needed in league and cup alike. Uneven afternoons from teenagers and early twentysomethings come with that territory, and Moyes seems ready to accept them.
Barry Is the Proof That Patience Pays
Anyone tempted to write off a young Everton attacker after a quiet hour should look at Barry. The French forward had a mixed first season, and earlier this year it felt as though a decent offer might take him away. When the move for Folarin Balogun collapsed, Barry said he would carry the responsibility himself, even while his finishing stayed erratic.
Now he has 10 goals in 13 appearances, including a brace against Coventry, plus the assist for the third goal. His six league goals put him third in the Golden Boot standings, behind only Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak. In Moyes’s comments on Barry’s progress, the manager explained that young centre forwards often need years before they score regularly, mentioning Wayne Rooney as a rare exception.
The same logic applies to wingers. Barry was given time, kept his place through the misses, and his numbers followed. Dibling and George are at an earlier point on the same road.