Everton will travel to St James’ Park for their first Premier League clash after the winter break and their first league game since Frank Lampard was appointed as the manager last month.
However, the ex-Chelsea boss has been given a double injury setback to his tenure already.
What’s the word?
Lampard took to his pre-match press conference to give an update on both Abdoulaye Doucoure and Ben Godfrey, both of whom have been regular starting players in the Everton side this season.
The Toffees manager told the press:
“Ben came back from his scan this morning and will be a 4-5 week injury, we hope without any issues.”
“Doucoure is still 3-4 weeks.”
In late January, Everton confirmed in a statement that Doucoure would be out for a minimum of four weeks, and almost two weeks on, if Lampard’s comments are accurate, the midfielder’s timeframe of being side-lined hasn’t reduced, whilst the loss of Godfrey over the next five weeks weakens the squad further.
Frank will be fuming
The game itself is critical for Everton’s season, and a win could be the start of a turning point for the side who currently sit just four points off the relegation zone, so Lampard will be hoping he can emulate the successful team performance he led his new side to in the FA Cup last weekend, with the side winning 4-1 comfortably against Brentford.
The ongoing injuries in the squad will leave the manager fuming, as he navigates through a challenging time for the Toffees in the league with many congested fixtures, including an important FA Cup game against Boreham Wood in that time.
Lampard would surely be wanting as much availability in his team so that he has the opportunity to really get to know the players, their strengths and who will fit into his philosophy moving forward at the club.
Thus, injuries to first-team players has come at a vulnerable time for the squad and will surely have an impact on the new manager’s selections and plans in the remaining months of the season.
Everton made five signings in the January transfer window so the new manager will be hoping that his new acquisitions can come in quickly to make an impact on the team ahead of his task of pulling the side back into safety this season.
In other news: Demarai Gray must keep his place in the team