Everton are sweating on the fitness of Dwight McNeil and Abdoulaye Doucoure ahead of Saturday’s game at Southampton, but manager Sean Dyche is optimistic about the pair’s chances of featuring.
McNeil and Doucoure, both regular starters this season, have been struggling with as-yet unspecified injuries that throw their participation on the South coast into doubt.
24-year-old McNeil missed training on Thursday after being forced off early in last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Fulham. Dyche is “hopeful” he will recover in time to face Russell Martin’s Southampton, but it would be a blow to Everton’s chances if the former Burnley man failed to make it.
McNeil has registered three goals and three assists in nine Premier League games having moved to a more central role, including two second-half strikes in the win over Crystal Palace last month. His absence would inevitably prompt a rethink behind the lone striker.
Fellow midfielder Doucoure is one potential alternative there, provided he shakes off a knock in time to feature. The 31-year-old trained on Thursday but will be assessed ahead of Saturday’s game.
“Dwight has got a chance,” Dyche said in his pre-match press conference. “He’s done a bit of work with the physios today so we’re hopeful on him. Doucs had a situation but has been out on the grass today, so we’ll see how that reacts.
Loan duo Orel Mangala and Jesper Lindstrom, signed from Lyon and Napoli respectively over summer, are potential solutions should McNeil and Doucoure be ruled out. Everton will also be without midfielders James Garner (back) and Tim Iroegbunam (foot).
“Jimmy Garner has been very unfortunate,” Dyche said. “He’s got a longer term injury. The specialists have advised a period where we take him off the grass again, so it’s going to be weeks.
“It’s a back injury that we’ve got to be careful with, not aligned with his previous one. He’s around three weeks into it and it’s going to be a couple of weeks from here, so it’s going to be beyond a month (in total).
“With Tim having a stressed bone in his foot, that’s another challenge, with two good young midfield players out for us.”
Strikers Youssef Chermiti (foot) and Armando Broja (Achilles) remain on the sidelines, but Broja is edging closer to returning to training with the Everton squad.
“He’s working hard and his stats are good, but he’s still with the sports science team,” Dyche said. “The crossover may start to occur next week where he starts to do the light stuff with us and then builds into a journey back to playing.
“He’s been out a fair while so there will need to be some games in there as well.”
Everton are five unbeaten heading into Saturday’s game and occupy 16th place in the table, eight points ahead of Southampton.
(Top image: Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
