Marco Silva said Everton signed Moise Kean to play at centre-forward only and all recruits must “learn fast” to force their way into his starting lineup.
The Italy international and fellow summer signing Jean-Philippe Gbamin could both make their home debuts against Watford on Saturday having appeared as substitutes in the Premier League opener at Crystal Palace. Kean, signed in a £29m deal from Juventus, has played out wide for his former club and his country but Silva insists the 19-year-old will be considered purely as a central striker at Everton along with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun.
“It is my opinion and our decision to play him front attack as a striker,” the Everton manager said. “Sometimes he played on the right or left for the national team but when we decided to go for a player like him it was to play as a striker. He can play wide but we have enough solutions there, and we have big quality playing out wide, so we will look to him to play as a striker. Dominic, Cenk and Moise Kean are number nines and since he arrived Moise did not train for one minute out of this position.”
Silva insists Kean’s contribution in training will determine whether he starts ahead of Calvert-Lewin. The teenager had only a few days training before the Palace game while Gbamin was also thrown in ahead of schedule at Selhurst Park after an injury to André Gomes. The £22.5m signing from Mainz endured a difficult debut that came as little surprise to his manager given the circumstances, although Silva admits Everton’s new signings need to get up to speed quickly after their late transfers.
Of Gbamin he said: “It was not the best way to learn [about the pace of the Premier League] but it was one way to learn. Of course the best way is to go step by step. I have no doubt that if he was here working for 15-20 days, and working with us every day, he would be more able to do the things right. He didn’t have enough time to work and prepare himself and know everything about the competition.
“Now they have one more week and it is my job to give them the conditions to do better, to know more, to know our team better and know our strategy better. They are in good condition but they will improve. That doesn’t mean they will start. Alex Iwobi and Djibril Sidibe too – all these players have to learn fast and have to be ready for my decision for the match.”