Not even Ainsley Maitland-Niles could have imagined his Premier League return would have played out like this. Everton's solution at right-back - a deadline-day signing from Lyon - was on the pitch for less than 20 minutes before being ushered towards the euphoric Toffees supporters after earning a 2-2 draw against Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium. By marking his first appearance in English football since 2023 with a spectacular strike, the 29-year-old became the first Everton player in eight years to score on his debut.
"From the first day you could feel the energy, the fight and the spirit in the building," Maitland-Niles told BBC Match of the Day. "It's contagious and it always will be playing for Everton." It was only last weekend that Maitland-Niles was an unused substitute in Lyon's 1-1 draw with Le Havre in Ligue 1. He was into his fourth season with the club, having moved to France after his Arsenal contract expired.
Eight days later he has already made his mark on Merseyside. There was some bemusement among supporters when Everton announced the arrival of 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.
"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.
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