Marco Silva is yet to add a fresh face to the squad at Goodison Park this summer but the Portuguese tactician continues to be linked with a host of stars, who could improve various areas in his squad. However, one role where Silva is desperate to find an upgrade on is the left-back role.
The Toffees have Leighton Baines as the first choice left-back in the side but he is now 33. Cuco Martina, his backup, did well last season but Silva seems to be desperate to add a player who can walk into the first team next season and one such player they are now linked with is Inter Milan star, Dalbert Henrique.
Born and brought up in Brazil, the 24-year old first moved to Europe with Vitoria SC in Portugal. He spent just a season there and another in Ligue 1 with OGC Nice before he was picked up by Inter Milan last summer. He made 33 French league appearances last season, but managed just five Serie A starts, struggling to establish himself in the first team.
Danilo D’Ambrosio and Yuto Nagatomo were both preferred over the Brazilian, leaving him struggling for game time. However, Henrique has shown great promise, putting in some decent performances in those games, at least decent enough for Everton to take notice.
Known for his defensive stability, Henrique is a strong and athletic full-back, who loves to sit back and frustrate opponents. He is strong in hold up play and is ready to make tackles outside the box, winning the ball back for his side. He is a decent passer and rarely loses possession and his willingness to run himself into the ground is what has attracted Silva at Everton.
He is not too effective in an attacking role, but adds great stability to the backline and is a decent acquisition for Everton. Reports suggest that Henrique is one of the five left-backs the club will target this summer.
Celtic’s Kieran Tierney was close to a move to Merseyside but Everton walked away from the deal recently. They are also looking at Lazio star Jordan Lukaku, Barcelona ace Lucas Digne along with two relative unknowns in Marvin Plattenhardt and Ramy Bensebaini.
Read More: Everton Attacker Sent On Loan To Join European Giants: Does He Have A Future Under Silva?
Tierney remains the best option on the list for the Toffees but Henrique has enough potential to be a star in the Premier League. His attributes are tailor-made for the league and he fits into Silva’s system well. So it will be interesting to see if the manager decides to spend on Henrique. Do you think he is the right man for Everton?
