Everton's Winger Dilemma: McNeil, Ndiaye, and Future Options

Everton’s flanks are being ripped up and rewritten. David Moyes spent most of last season trusting Dwight McNeil on the right and Iliman Ndiaye on the left. That familiar pairing is about to disappear.

McNeil is on the brink of finally getting his move to Crystal Palace, a transfer that collapsed in dramatic fashion in February when a loan-to-buy deal worth £20m fell apart in the final minutes because the paperwork was not completed in time. He had passed his medical. He was ready to go. Then nothing.

The fallout was raw. On social media, McNeil’s partner Megan Sharpley condemned the way the situation had been handled, questioning how such emotional turmoil could be brushed off simply because footballers earn big wages. It was a rare public glimpse into the mental strain behind a transfer that never was.

Now the move has been revived, this time with Brennan Johnson involved in an exchange that would reshape Everton’s wide options and finally draw a line under that chaotic deadline day.

On the opposite flank, Ndiaye’s future is also in doubt, with Al Hilal expressing interest. If that interest hardens into a bid Everton accept, Moyes could start the new season without either of last year’s first-choice wingers.

What does he have left?

Jack Grealish is the headline name. On loan from Manchester City last season, he delivered genuine quality in his 22 appearances, especially in the first half of the campaign when he looked every inch the elite playmaker operating from wide areas. His season was cut short by a foot injury in January, and whether he returns remains unclear, but his impact was strong enough to make him a live option if a deal can be struck.

Behind the big names, Moyes must decide how much trust to place in his younger, less proven options.

Tyler Dibling arrived from Southampton last summer for £40m, a fee that suggested he would be central to Everton’s plans. Instead, his first season on Merseyside drifted by. He started only four Premier League games and saw his path blocked once Grealish walked through the door. It was a transitional year in every sense, one that left more questions than answers about his readiness to carry the responsibility of a starting role.

Tyrique George is a different story. Signed permanently from Chelsea for £24m after a successful loan spell, he is still at the beginning of his Everton journey but has already made a positive impression. He featured 11 times last season, starting once, and crucially won Moyes’ trust with his attitude and work off the ball. The manager publicly praised him as an “excellent boy with an excellent work-rate” after his initial four-month spell. That kind of endorsement matters when a squad is being reshaped.

Merlin Röhl offers another internal solution. Used occasionally out wide, he is not a specialist winger in the traditional sense but gives Moyes tactical flexibility and another way of constructing his front line if the pure wide options thin out.

All of that leaves Everton standing on the edge of a significant shift. McNeil is poised to go, Ndiaye could follow, and Grealish’s future hangs in the balance. Behind them, Dibling, George and Röhl wait for an opening.

Moyes has decisions to make. Does he double down on youth and potential, or demand more ready-made quality from the market to avoid another season spent improvising on the flanks?