Journalist Paul Brown claims that Everton central midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure is 'way, way below his best'.

The Lowdown: Resurgence

Doucoure is enjoying a resurgence under new manager Sean Dyche, as he has started and played the full 90 minutes in Everton's last three Premier League games under him.

Before that, he had only started twice in the league, and had only made 12 appearances in total over all competitions this season (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, Dyche is clearly seeing something in Doucoure to bring him back into the fold, after he was linked with a move to Fulham in the January transfer window.

The Latest: 'Below his best'

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Brown claims that Doucoure is still 'way, way below his best', citing a golden opportunity he had to score in Saturday afternoon's 1-0 win at home to Leeds United in the Premier League:

“He is still way, way below his best in my opinion. There was a point in their last game when he was clean through on goal and couldn't even get a shot away before that chance was snuffed out.

“If you look at replays of that carefully, his foot did slip as he plants it. Maybe that was just misfortune, but I can't help thinking that the Doucoure of two seasons ago would have buried that immediately.”

The Verdict: Needs a run of games

Doucoure needs a run of games to get back to his best at Goodison Park, and Dyche seems to have full faith in him to excel in his midfield until the end of the season.

Despite his miss last weekend, he was one of the best players on the pitch, winning six of his duels and recording two successful dribbles, one clearance, two interceptions, four tackles, two key passes and one accurate long ball (SofaScore).

Doucoure also recorded the highest pass accuracy (88%) in the entire Toffees squad, showing the overall influence he had on the match.

Being the joint-highest earner in the squad on £120,000-per-week, he needs to show consistency now, which will only come if Dyche keeps giving him starts.