Everton Manager Moyes Tells £40m Tyler Dibling to Step Up

Everton manager David Moyes has told Tyler Dibling to step up after the £40m signing has started only four Premier League games this season. Dibling has been used sparingly across Everton’s campaign, and Moyes made clear the club expects more from a player they paid Southampton a major fee to bring in.

“He’ll have to do better, I think,” Moyes said of the 20-year-old. He added: “We want Tyler to step up, we really do.”

Moyes raises the bar for Dibling

Moyes did not soften the message. “He’ll have to do better in his work and in his training,” he said, before adding: “He’s important to us.”

That leaves the forward in a clear position at Everton: the club have invested heavily, but his minutes have stayed limited. He has started six games in total this season and played 513 minutes, a modest return for a player brought in as part of the club’s new era.

George adds more competition

The pressure on Dibling has grown with Everton also bringing in Tyrique George on loan from Chelsea. George is of a similar age and has done well in the moments he’s had in games, according to Moyes.

Dibling was overlooked when Jack Grealish suffered a season-ending foot injury, and Dwight McNeil has since been chosen ahead of him. That is the clearest sign yet that selection, not reputation, is deciding Everton’s attacking pecking order.

England Under-21s and Everton

Lee Carsley has made Dibling a regular for England Under-21s. In 2025-26, he has started three Under-21 games, been involved in six, and played 261 minutes.

That international workload has not yet carried over into a bigger role at Everton. For now, Moyes’s message is simple: the fee, the faith and the opportunity are all there, but the next move has to come from Dibling himself.