The player Everton just cannot afford to lose.

Over the past few weeks, Everton’s situation has significantly improved as Sean Dyche’s team appears to have finally found the winning formula.

Amadou Onana’s goal in the second half was followed by goals from James Tarkowski and Ashley Young as the Toffees defeated Burnley 3-0 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, November 1.

It has been found that Onana leads the Premier League in one specific statistic this season. Over the past several seasons, Onana has been one of Dyche’s team’s more gifted players and has been crucial to Everton’s efforts to avoid relegation.

Out of the 109 players who have engaged in 50 or more ground duels in the Premier League this season, Onana has emerged victorious in more of them than any other, winning 66.7% of them, according to WhoScored.com on November 2.

The midfielders in Dyche’s team need to consistently win the ball when they try to challenge their opponents because of the way Dyche’s team plays—often hitting teams on the counterattack and giving them possession advantages.

Onana touched the ball just 38 times during Everton’s 38 percent control against Burnley at Goodison Park, but off the ball, he was at his most effective, winning five of his six ground duels and making five ball recoveries.

The Belgian international has also performed exceptionally well aerially thus far this season, ranking in the 97th percentile among Premier League midfielders in terms of aerial duels won per ninety minutes at a rate of 70.7% with an average of 2.98 per game.

The 22-year-old’s future has been the subject of rumors in recent weeks. David Ornstein said on November 2 that he has “already generated plenty of interest.” One team that inquired about the midfielder’s availability was Manchester United, and Everton “may well have sold” if the price had been right.

Clubs will be interested in signing Onana during the January transfer window if he keeps up his impressive playmaking in the middle of the field, like he did on Wednesday, and if he continues to score significant goals.

The Toffees must make every effort to keep Onana at Goodison Park because they cannot afford to lose a player who has been so crucial to Dyche’s team’s recent form surge.