Everton manager Ronald Koeman has revealed the reasons for deploying Gerard Deulofeu as a striker.
Deulofeu scored for the Blues after he was taken away from his comfort zone during last weekend’s comprehensive friendly win over Barnsley.
In the absence of Romelu Lukaku, who has yet to return for pre-season training, the 22-year-old found himself leading Everton’s front line.
And Koeman insists that there was a method behind the unorthodox move.
“We had a lot of pace up front with Gerard,” he told Everton TV.
“Maybe this is a new position for him but I know he played there for Barcelona ‘B’. Because he is very fast, we created a lot of danger from that.
“A full-back has two options – play the ball back to the goalkeeper or play it down the channels [to the forwards]. I don’t like the first option.
“When you have Gerard with that speed up front, and good passes to pick him out, that makes it difficult for the opponent.”