Carlo Ancelotti has defended Alex Iwobi by saying his "difficult" performances this season have been the fault of the team.
The Everton boss says the forward, who turns 25 on Monday, has a "fantastic" attitude and is "always ready" when called upon.
Iwobi joined the Blues from Arsenal on deadline day in 2019 but in 62 appearances for the club, has become a player who often frustrates supporters given his talent.
Ancelotti does not feel that way about Iwobi and though acknowledging the attacker has put in some disappointing performances, he laid the blame with the mistakes of the team and not the player.
“I think he had some good performances, and he had some difficult performances: he is part of the squad and after that he had some games where he played really well, and was really helpful for the the team, and in other games I tried to change a little bit the strategy...it didn’t work well but not for his fault, [it was] the team’s fault and the team’s mistakes," Ancelotti said.
“He is professional, but of course when there is competition sometimes you play and sometimes you are on the bench."
Asked if he found Iwobi a frustrating player to manage, the Blues boss said: “He is not a frustrating player because he is really professional, really serious, always ready, not at all is he a frustrating player, because he is a really good professional with a fantastic attitude."
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