Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye has quickly proven that he was one of the best Premier League signings of the summer with some brilliant performances in the centre of the park for the Toffees this season.

In fact, according to our friends over at Squawka, the Senegal international was the top-rated defensive midfielder in all of Europe's top five leagues in 2016 during a spell with Aston Villa last term and now the Merseyside outfit this.

The 27-year-old made a total of 176 tackles and 124 interceptions over the course of the calendar year and those impressive stats make it even more of a blow for manager Ronald Koeman and the club's supporters that one of their key men has jetted off to represent his country at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Dutchman is on the verge of adding Manchester United's Morgan Schneiderlin to his squad with a deal having been agreed with the Red Devils, but despite this, some of his team-mates will need to fill the gap Gueye has left until he returns from Gabon.

Here are THREE Everton players that must step up in Gueye's absence...

James McCarthy

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The Republic of Ireland international is currently sidelined with a hamstring problem and is a doubt for Everton's match against Manchester City at Goodison Park this weekend, but he should definitely be available for selection for the trip to Crystal Palace the following weekend.

McCarthy is one player that has suffered following the arrival of Gueye from Aston Villa in the summer - often finding himself on the substitutes' bench - and he will be looking to make a positive impression on his return to show Koeman why he should be in the starting XI every week.

Tom Davies

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The 18-year-old midfielder has already made six appearances in the Premier League for the Toffees this season, but he made his first start alongside Gueye in central midfield in Everton's 3-0 win against Southampton at Goodison Park in their first match of 2017.

The youngster obviously impressed Koeman as he was again named in the team for the FA Cup third round loss against Leicester on Saturday, and he will be looking to replicate his team-mate's contribution to the team - in terms of interceptions and tackles - this month and possibly beyond.

Tom Cleverley

While he was a favourite under former Everton boss Roberto Martinez last season, Tom Cleverley doesn't seem to have impressed Koeman, making twelve appearances this term and often finding himself named on the substitutes' bench.

However, with the games coming thick and fast and with Tom Davies only 18-years-of-age, the former Manchester United man could well be called upon by Koeman this month and he will want to impress his manager if he is given an opportunity, or any clubs that could be monitoring his situation.