Everton boss Sean Dyche has explained holding back Demarai Gray.

Gray has only played 29 minutes under Dyche so far despite being in each of his three matchday squads.

Asked how Gray could challenge for a place in the starting line-up, Dyche said ahead of the Aston Villa match: “I think just finding that balance of his talent, the work ethic of the group and how the group tactically play. That mixture. To find those combinations. I've already spoken to him about it, his role and his continued development and how he sees it.

"He's still only 26 and he's been in and out at clubs, Leicester and stuff like that. Finding that platform for consistency. And he shared that back - about when he found himself in that position in the past and could he find that consistency in the role and not just his technical performance but the actual role within a team. So I have been speaking to him about that."