An injury expert has said that Abdoulaye Doucoure may now be out for longer than previously expected following the arrival of Frank Lampard.
The Lowdown: Four weeks initially
The Goodison Park faithful confirmed on Thursday that Doucoure could miss four weeks of action while he tries to recover from his latest injury setback.
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The central midfield player sustained a groin injury in their 1-0 loss at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League, and now faces a period on the sidelines.
The Latest: Six now?
Speaking to Football Insider, injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in both medicine and data analysis, has revealed that Doucoure could now be out for up to six weeks instead of four, indicating that he has potentially suffered a ‘grade two’ injury:
“It is a fairly significant injury.
“We initially looked at that borderline grade one, grade two. We are now potentially looking at up to six weeks, so that indicates that it’s a grade two.
“It hopefully shouldn’t impact too much on the run-in. He has fairly solid recovery rates.
“But there is a swing in feeling and mood following the arrival of Frank Lampard, which could affect the situation around Doucoure somewhat.
“If they get off to a good start, Doucoure could find it difficult to force his way back into that squad.“
The Verdict: Blow
If the Merseyside club lose Doucoure for an extra two weeks, then that could be a significant blow in terms of their hopes for survival.
There are no two ways about it, they are now in a relegation battle, as they are currently lurking in 16th place and just four points off of the drop zone.
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The additional games that he could now miss would be Tottenham Hotspur away and Wolves at home, two teams in the top half that the Toffees will need to be full strength to beat.
He may also struggle to recover in time for Watford away a week after the Wanderers, which could be a crucial match in terms of survival.
Nonetheless, we feel Lampard will want Doucoure to recover as soon as possible so that he can slot him straight back into the side – he is the best ranked Everton midfielder on Whoscored.
In other news, find out who EFC have held talks over a coaching role here!
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