Will the real Iliman Ndiaye please stand up!

Will the real Iliman Ndiaye please stand up! Iliman Ndiaye scores Everton's third goal against Chelsea in March 2026 (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images) Whether it’s because he’s fatigued, or just because he is going through a dip, or simply because Everton are so reliant on him to do it all, Iliman Ndiaye is not living up to the exceptionally high standards he has set. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is certainly not a hit piece.

Ndiaye has been a superb signing for Everton. He is capable of the spectacular and, in this writer’s opinion, the club should be tying him down to a new contract. A silky dribbler, a fantastic ball-carrier and a usually excellent finisher, Ndiaye is perhaps lacking the passing skills or creative ability of Jack Grealish, but he more than makes up for it in other areas.

But, it’s fair to say, in recent weeks, when Everton have really needed him to step up to the plate, Ndiaye has faltered. As laid out in the introduction, there’s caveats here. This isn’t just a case of a good player suddenly turning bad, but we can still see that he is in a bit of a dip.

He is definitely not the only one. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall — far and away Everton’s signing of the season — has also struggled to hit his best form in recent weeks. David Moyes’s squad management throughout the season has been questioned, and it does look as though the minutes both Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye have been clocking up are beginning to tell.