I think looks deceive slightly, he was the better of Doucoure and Gana in the midfield area and that’s what caught the eye and made him standout. Having said that I would rather play him as a more holding midfielder with Gomes and Garner, I think he would hold his position better than Gana who still drifts all over the pitch, plus he has more strength and ability when in possession than Gana.
The one thing Gana still has over him is the ability to win the ball back more often, but even Gana’s stats are very average now, 4-5 seasons ago he was a round the top of the league in that department, but age comes to all of us eventually and it’s definitely caught up with Gana.
So for them reasons I would Go with Gomes, Garner, and Onana over Gana, also when fit I would like to see Danjuma replace McNeil who I thought was our worst player last night, his contribution on the ball was poor and his work rate wasn’t good enough, he’s definitely becoming the weakest link in the team.