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The Everton winger is currently out injured and will need to do more if he intends to keep his place in the team.
Alex Iwobi is currently out injured for Everton and was unable to take part in this weekend’s action against Manchester United, a game that ended 1-1 at Old Trafford.
Having played a considerable part of Rafa Benitez’s team since his tenure began, with only a meagre goal contribution, the Super Eagles playmaker’s place on the team is nowhere close to secure.
With other influential forwards like Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray raring to go, these pair will aim to impress their manager in Iwobi’s conspicuous absence.
Since the season began and Benitez took his place in the Goodison Park dugout, he has gotten Iwobi involved more frequently. For a player coming from a situation with Carlo Ancelotti where he could not even get a look in, he has not done enough to stake his claim to his new manager.
Although the former Arsenal player has seen his influence in the team grow under Benitez, he just has not contributed enough to the goals.
His lone goal contribution for the season came on opening day when he assisted Abdoulaye Doucoure to score Everton’s second against Southampton.
The player has himself conceded on his lacking goal contribution earlier in the season when interviewed by the club’s media.
“The manager is always talking to me and trying to help me,” Iwobi told Everton TV.
“It’s helped me a lot so far this season. It’s not just me, of course, but the whole team [he speaks to]. My confidence is playing a big part, too. I’m pushing a bit more up the field and getting involved in attacks.
“I just need to add more goals and assists, as the manager wants. With the manager, he doesn’t give us any rest, he’s onto us 24/7. This is what we need.
“You can see everyone’s playing with a lot of confidence. That big motivation is there [to continue achieving positive results].
“We’ve started off very well, but we have to keep going until the end. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
With goals pouring in from Everton’s latest attacking additions in the form of Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend, Iwobi will be lucky to have the manager’s attention when he returns from his temporary absence.
Gray, for comparison, already has three goals and an assist in seven appearances this season while Townsend — scorer of an astonishing counter-attack at Old Trafford — has five goals and three assists in nine matches.
Indeed, Iwobi is running out of excuses and has to start producing a lot more when he returns from injury.
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