And Dutch’s Van Dik highlighted the importance of his fellow-borns to his team after an impressive start to the new campaign.
“Not only this season, but he’s been playing that way since the start of last season,” Van Dick said. “He is incredible, he is extremely important to the way we play.
“You see the number of times I try to look for him. It benefits him, me, the team. He is in an incredible form. He is a form of his life. He has to continue. He is still young.
“The level of expectation is always there. That’s something he has to try to reach every three or four days. It’s a great challenge.
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“During his first season here, he played very little. It’s all a mix: gaining confidence, progressing and improving as a player, playing the game at the highest level and knowing your role on the team.
“I’m very pleased with him because I’ve put so much effort into doing what he’s doing.”
The 23-year-old caught his eye as a midfielder holding last season, but he made regular progress in 2025/26.
“It’s the same for all players. You need the team around you to show how good you are. We know we have a lot of great players,” Slot said.
“Both goals were in a similar area where we attacked, with those two paces first, Ryan and second, Hugo (Ekitique). The first half was a joy to watch.
“We gave a bit of a warning when they shot the target before halftime, and the difficulty of admitting 2-1 when you’re 2-0 is a bit suspicious.
“Usually we have no doubts. We continue to attack, but we had a chance to score third rather than third.
“That’s the evolution of the team. You’re always trying to do really good things, but you try to adapt to us at other times, so we always have to evolve and there are players that are different from last season.
“I’m not saying Ryan has freedom, but he has moments where he can help with the attack, which has a lot to do with the pressure of other teams. But he has a little more freedom.”
Greigun Burch himself was asked about the increase in his offensive threat after Everton’s victory.
“The coaches have given me confidence. We have more freedom in the middle this season,” he said.
“I was sixth last season, but now I can move forward more, that’s what I saw today.
“I think my strength is there, so I’m happy with it and I’m happy with my goals too.”
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