Everton: Patterson and Garner could return from injury v Chelsea

Everton have been gifted a potential injury boost before they play Chelsea as Sean Dyche has given an update on both Nathan Patterson and James Garner.

The Lowdown: On the sidelines

Both Patterson and Garner have been sidelined from first-team action for a few months between them, with the former not playing a senior game since the beginning of January, while the latter has not featured since November of last year.

Both of them did make a comeback to the pitch in an U21s game against Tottenham Hotspur back in February, but will no doubt be eager to play under Dyche, which they have not been able to do as of yet.

The Latest: Both available?

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match away at Chelsea in the Premier League, as shared by Everton reporter for The Athletic Patrick Boyland on Twitter, Dyche has confirmed that both Patterson and Garner are ‘in and around it’ in terms of team selection:

“Dyche says Patterson and Garner “in and around it” for selection.”

The Verdict: Double boost

It would be a double boost for Dyche and his team if Patterson and Garner are able to play a part at Stamford Bridge, in what promises to be a tricky encounter against one of the traditional ‘big six’ in the top flight.

They have both been among the Goodison Park outfit’s best performers in the Premier League so far this term, with only Yerry Mina matching Patterson’s average of three tackles per match, while they both rank highly in terms of average interceptions and pass success rate (WhoScored).

Toffees supporters will no doubt want to see more of Garner in particular, given that he was a summer signing from Manchester United, but instead the midfielder’s season has been plagued by injuries so far, meaning that he has been limited to a mere seven senior appearances in total over all competitions.

Dyche may not want to risk him from the start, with the likes of Amadou Onana, Idrissa Gueye and Abdoulaye Doucoure able to play in the middle of the park, while he may also stick with captain Seamus Coleman at right-back in place of Patterson.

Nonetheless, at least having them fit and available again boosts the Englishman’s squad options, and he may want to consider giving them at least some minutes in order to help build up their match sharpness.