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'He plays where I tell him!' - Ancelotti turns deaf ear to Richarlison's plea to lead Everton line
The Brazilian has thrived in a more central position filling in for the injured Calvert-Lewin
Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that Richarlison would jump at the chance to permanently lead Everton's forward line - but that the Brazilian should not get his hopes up.
Richarlison has been one of the stars of a fine season for the Toffees to date thanks to his incursions off the left wing.
He is keen to take on a more central role in the team, a desire that has not convinced his manager.
What was said?
“He likes to play centre-forward, honestly," Ancelotti told reporters ahead of Monday's Premier League clash against Everton.
"But for the fact that he is young, he plays where I tell him to play!
“I think he cannot play centre-forward because he is really good at attacking the line and to play centre-forward, most of the time you have your shoulder at the goal.
“I think for him, better is centre-left. He has more difficulty to find solutions as a winger but centre-left, for me, is the best position.”
Who is Everton's centre-forward?
The No. 9 position has been in Dominic Calvert-Lewin's possession through 2020-21, with Richarlison starting on the left and James Rodriguez on the right in Ancelotti's first-choice trident.
Calvert-Lewin boasts 18 goals in all competitions this term, including 13 in 21 Premier League outings.
Recently, though, an injury to the forward has allowed Richarlison to move inside and impress - but Ancelotti will only shift his preferred choice if he asks for it.
“If he asks to play centre-forward, and Dominic asks me to play left-winger then, no problem!" he added.
“Maybe when he is older, he is going to ask to play centre-forward but, until now, he didn't ask.
"But I think we have to be able to play with them together because they are really strong.”
