Lampard must now unleash £3.6m-rated Everton bruiser who offers “something different” - opinion

On Thursday night, Frank Lampard guided Everton to their third victory under his management since being appointed at the end of January, defeating National League side Boreham Wood 2-0 in the FA Cup fifth round at Goodison Park.

Salomon Rondon’s double was enough to earn the Toffees a place in the quarter-finals, and it was his best performance in an Everton shirt (in terms of match rating according to SofaScore) since arriving from Chinese outfit Dalian Professional on a free transfer last summer.

Not only did he complete 100% of his dribbles in a typically aggressive display, he also completed 21 out of 23 of his passes with a tremendous striking performance.

The Venezuela international has largely struggled since signing for the Toffees and has been used as nothing more than a backup option and cup striker. However, with Everton having scored just seven Premier League goals in 2022 so far, Rondon could potentially be of use to Lampard’s team, with the manager praising him as “something different“.

Since being appointed, Lampard has deployed a 4-4-2 formation twice, beating Leeds 3-0 but losing to Southampton 2-0. However, if Rondon is given a chance in that formation, he could make a huge impact, not just as a goalscorer but as a valuable team player.

The 32-year-old ranks in the top 11% among forwards across Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions for aerial challenges won per 90 (4.78), as well as in the top 2% for passes attempted with a header per 90 (3.27). Those figures illustrate his ability to play as a target man alongside a faster forward to get onto his knockdowns.

He has also performed well when asked to press high up the pitch, ranking in the top 10% for successful pressures per 90 (5.41)