100% duels lost: Dyche must axe 6/10 Everton ace today who lost the ball 15x v West Ham -opinion

He worked hard against West Ham but lacked quality for large periods.

After a run of six games without a Premier League victory, Sean Dyche’s Everton are looking over their shoulder with Luton Town closing the gap to the Toffees to just five points with a game in hand.

The defeat against David Moyes’ West Ham United side last Saturday was only their second defeat in the last six outings, but the club need to end their winless run as soon as possible with a potential points deduction heading their way.

Goals from former Everton defender Kurt Zouma, Tomas Soucek and Edson Alvarez claimed all three points for the Hammers, with the Toffees disappointed not to take at least a point from the encounter given their chances.

Striker Beto made a rare start at the weekend, with the Portuguese forward scoring but also missing a penalty. Despite the penalty miss, the striker showed glimpses of his quality, with the former Udinese man deserving of another start this weekend.

However, one Everton player was poor in the West Ham defeat, with Dyche potentially needing to drop him for the clash against Manchester United this afternoon.

Why Doucoure could make way vs Manchester United

Although midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure has been impressive for the Toffees this season – scoring six goals – he was below par against West Ham, with the former Watford man having one of his poorest games so far this campaign.

During his 90-minute performance, Doucoure was dispossessed three times and lost 100% of the 11 duels he contested; that’s not ideal from a combative midfielder.

The one-time Mali international also committed three fouls and lost possession 15 times – on average once every six minutes he was on the pitch.

Doucoure, who was given a 6/10 rating by Liverpool Echo journalist Chris Beesley, tried his best to have a positive effect on the encounter but was lacking quality, with the midfielder now without a goal in five league matches.

Given his poor recent run of form, Everton boss Dyche should look to replace him with one player within the squad champing at the bit for more first-team minutes.

The man to replace Doucoure against Manchester United

After returning from his latest injury setback, midfielder Andre Gomes has been solid when called upon for Dyche – with the Portuguese playmaker deserving of a consistent run of minutes in the Premier League.

The midfielder, who earns £112k-per-week, has made three starts since his return to action in late December, with his best game coming in the FA Cup clash against Crystal Palace at Goodison Park.

The former Barcelona man scored the winning goal, before missing multiple games before returning to the bench against Moyes’ Saturday on Saturday.

He was brought on for the final ten minutes, with the 30-year-old completing all ten of the passes he attempted and also threatening further forward by taking two shots – both of which were on target.

After his torrid spell with injury, Gomes has spent the vast majority of his contract on the sidelines with his deal set to expire in the summer.

Dyche should give the experienced midfielder a consistent run of games before the end of the season, in order to allow him to stake his claim for a new contract in the summer.