Sean Dyche names Everton 'shining light' who takes his 'moments of truth'

Sean Dyche described Abdoulaye Doucoure as a “shining light” of his Everton reign as he heaped praise on the midfielder.

No player has done more to boost Dyche’s ambitions than the 30-year-old, who the manager brought in from the cold when he was appointed in January. Doucoure has repaid him handsomely, scoring 11 Premier League goals and providing a crucial link between Everton’s midfield and attack.

The turnaround in Doucoure’s fortunes at Goodison Park has been extraordinary, with the player writing his name in club folklore by scoring the goal that saved the Blues from relegation in the 1-0 win over Bournemouth on the final day of last season.

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Dyche said he was always confident Doucoure, who had just four league goals across two-and-a-half seasons with the Blues prior to his arrival on Merseyside, could be prolific. But he said the Mali international’s importance stretched beyond the strikes that proved so crucial at the end of last season and during the start of this campaign.

In particular, Dyche has been impressed with the tactical awareness of Doucoure, which when coupled with his fitness levels, has enabled him to press with an intensity and menace the Blues boss thought it important to create.

Dyche said: “I tried to come here with a front foot mentality and get the team to play on the front foot with that energy and commitment to press and break the game higher up the pitch… He is very good at that. I think it is a natural thing for him to do as well. It is not just his energy, it is his awareness, his tactical understanding, the passing lanes he