What Everton players are telling Tyrique George as £24m star torments them in training
Tyrique George has tormented his Everton teammates in training with Merlin Rohl admitting he urges him to “go easy, please”.
The winger completed a permanent move from Chelsea this month following a positive loan spell on Merseyside. The 20-year-old’s ambition is to break into David Moyes’ starting XI for the new campaign.
If he can replicate the form he has become known for in training, the England Under-21s international could well be set for opportunities to impress.
George did not provide a goal or an assist in his 11 appearances for Everton last season, earning just one start after being brought in to cover the injured Jack Grealish. Those stats underplay his impact, however, with the wide man creating a series of golden chances that his teammates missed and being denied a first goal in royal blue by a stunning Antonin Kinsky save at Tottenham Hotspur.
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Everton supporters will want to see more from the £18m summer signing when the season starts with Crystal Palace visiting Hill Dickinson Stadium next month. His teammate, Rohl, who often comes up against him as a makeshift right back in training, believes a breakthrough could be close.
Speaking after his side’s goalless friendly draw at Bolton Wanderers, he said: “I think we all know about Tyrique’s capabilities in a one-on-one. I used to feel it a little bit more in training when I’m on right-back. I always tell him: ‘Go easy, please.’
“I think it’s the best training you can have at right-back, to go against someone like Tyrique, who is so good at unbalancing you. His movements are so sharp. That’s very nice to see. I wish him all the best to keep going and implement it in the games, because I think really highly of him.”
Rohl, a central midfielder, has been filling in on the right of the defence as Everton continue to search for a specialist in that position following the departure of club hero Seamus Coleman and with Nathan Patterson expected to leave this summer.
The 24-year-old moved into midfield for the second half at Bolton and may be required in the middle over the coming weeks as Everton deal with the groin injury suffered by key man James Garner. Garner faces a battle to be fit for the start of the campaign after undergoing surgery this week.
Alongside George and fellow midfielder Hayden HackneyRohl is one of three additions to Moyes’ squad so far. His loan move from Freiburg was made permanent for £18m – a deal Everton were obliged to do once the club avoided relegation from the Premier League.
Asked how he thought Everton were shaping up for the new season, he said: “Very well. Everyone is working very, very hard in the pre-season. It’s a little bit different to a pre-season in Germany.
“It’s a lot harder, a lot tougher. Here in England, it’s a lot tougher. It’s more physical. Everything is more physical here. You have the games that are more physical, so you need to prepare your body to be ready for the physical games. In Germany, maybe the training isn’t as physical as here.
“I think you just try to prepare as well as possible. I really enjoy all the hard work, but sometimes you’re a little tired.”
