Everton's unlikely new hero's journey to Merseyside

[Getty Images] There was some bemusement among supporters when Everton announced the arrival of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who has endured something of a nomadic career since making his professional debut for Arsenal in a Champions League tie against Galatasaray in 2014. He had spells on loan at Ipswich , West Brom , Roma and Southampton before finally leaving his boyhood club in 2023. His move to seven-time French champions Lyon did not pan out the way he would have expected. Maitland-Niles hoped to finally put to bed the debate over his best position, with the majority of his previous managers viewing him as a versatile figure who could be deployed in defence or attack. But even after making close to 100 appearances in Ligue 1, he was unable to establish himself as such in France. Following the retirement of Seamus Coleman at the end of last season, Everton chief executive Angus Kinnear spoke about taking their time to find a replacement. When they eventually settled on Maitland-Niles, it was not the coup supporters had envisaged after a tedious, summer-long search. That opinion is sure to have shifted - even if only slightly - after he scored his first Premier League goal in almost seven years on Sunday to snatch the Toffees a point against Manchester United . "Our main feeling was we didn't know enough about him since we got him in," said manager David Moyes. "We haven't had much chance to get to know him. "It was a brilliant goal and a great finish. It's a good start for him and it will help him settle in as well." Read more here