Manchester City star Jack Grealish has made a surprising declaration about Everton's on-loan winger Iliman Ndiaye, labelling him as one of the most skilful players in world football.
Grealish's glowing praise for absent Everton star
The England international, who has played alongside elite attackers at both club and international level, offered a fascinating insight into pure technical ability within the Premier League. Speaking ahead of Everton's trip to face Arsenal on Saturday night, Grealish expressed his concern for the Toffees, who will be without the Senegal international Ndiaye due to his participation in the AFCON tournament.
"I'm not saying he is the best but he could be the best," Grealish said of the 25-year-old. "In terms of pure skill there's not many that are really like…trust me there's not a lot."
Skill versus space: Grealish's winger analysis
Grealish drew interesting comparisons with other notable Premier League wide players to illustrate his point. He acknowledged the qualities of Jeremy Doku and Savinho but placed Ndiaye in a distinct category for pure trickery.
He used Arsenal's Bukayo Saka as a key example, stating: "Saka for example is so good, he's one of the best wingers in the world but he's not skilful. It's about tricks or putting someone on a five-a-side pitch where it's tight and they're just going in and out of people."
Grealish elaborated that many modern wingers, including Doku and Saka, rely more on explosive pace and space, whereas Ndiaye's talent shines in confined areas. "A lot of wingers I play with need space. Doku for example, you wouldn't put him in a small pitch. He would literally be in and out whereas Doku might need a bit of space for his pace, Saka as well," he added.
Everton's double blow ahead of Arsenal clash
David Moyes's side, enjoying their first season at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium and sitting ninth in the table, face a significant challenge at the Emirates. Ndiaye's absence is compounded by the injury to fellow creative force Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
The duo have been instrumental in Everton's rise, with the team now just four points off a top-four position. The club will also be without captain Idrissa Gueye, who is also on AFCON duty with Senegal.
Midfielder James Garner has insisted he is ready to step up in Gueye's absence. "I think [playing as a senior midfielder] comes quite naturally, to be fair," Garner said. "I'm quite a quiet leader. I've been captain pretty much every single place I've been at, coming through the youth teams, so it comes quite naturally to me."
Everton's meeting with Mikel Arteta's Arsenal on Saturday evening will be a stern test of their squad depth, as they aim to continue their impressive campaign without two of their most influential players.
