James McCarthy (Everton)
When Roberto Martinez was appointed Everton manager, many pundits wrote of a likely defensive permeability due to the way his Wigan Athletic side leaked goals last season.
The signing of James McCarthy to sit in front of the defence helped to prevent that from happening. The Republic of Ireland international looked expensive when he arrived from the Latics for £13m in the summer, but Martinez knew what kind of player he was signing.
Even if McCarthy played in front of the famously porous Wigan defence, he has formed part of a solid unit in Everton’s back line including the imperious Phil Jagielka and ageless Sylvain Distin, and pushes on to join the attack where he can.
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