Jean-Phillipe Gbamin is set for a major role at Everton when he is fully fit after the international break, according to Football Insider.
Gbamin has appeared just twice for the Toffees so far following his £25m move from Mainz this summer. He was ruled out of action for at least eight weeks in late August with a thigh injury and is yet to return to action.
As Everton perch in 18th place, the international break will provide a good opportunity for Marco Silva (who the Daily Mail suggest knows he must improve or a change is ‘inevitable’) to assess his options and work towards a turnaround in form when his side return to action.
Given that Gbamin is back in light training, Football Insider suggests he is eyeing a return in the coming weeks and he looks set to be fazed back into action to become a key member of the side. Indeed, during his limited action thus far, the Ivorian averaged 2 tackles per game (the third highest in the Toffees’ squad) as well as the fourth-highest amount of blocks (2, via WhoScored), which could help the team plug what is looking like a fairly leaky defence.
Frankly, Gbamin’s return to the starting side will be more than welcome. With Silva’s team struggling to keep clean sheets so far this season, having someone clearly capable of protecting the defence could be a big bonus as the Portuguese looks to improve on his early-season results thus far.
According to a report in the Times earlier this week, the former Mainz ace is seen as a direct replacement for the departed Idrissa Gana Gueye, who made the most tackles and interceptions per game than anyone in the squad last season. Whether or not he’ll be able to replicate the PSG star remains to be seen of course but having a player at least of that profile available could be good news.
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