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Ancelotti shares injury update on Everton midfielder Delph
Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti has stated he is frustrated by the persistent injuries to former England international Fabian Delph.
The midfielder, 31, hasn’t featured for the Toffees since December 5th in the 1-1 draw with Burnley at Turf Moor.
Delph was on the bench against Manchester United and Leeds but missed out against Tottenham. He won’t be fit for today’s clash with Fulham, but Ancelotti is hopeful he will make the Manchester City tie midweek.
As quoted by the Liverpool Echo, the boss voiced his concern about the lack of appearances from his player this season.
Ancelotti said: “He’s not injured again but he has a little problem and is not fit 100%.
“The fact that he had a problem in the past we want to be sure to put him in.
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“I think he was on the bench the game before and during training he had a contraction of his muscle, not a big problem but he’s not available for the game.
“Of course we are frustrated because he’s a player with a lot of experience.
“We are frustrated because he had a lot of problems.”
A forgotten man?
Delph signed for Everton in July 2019 for a fee in the region of £8.5m. He had a very successful time with Manchester City, deployed often as a left-back. He won two league titles under Pep Guardiola and broke into the England squad for the 2018 World Cup.
Injuries have been a constant throughout his career, though. Since moving to City from Aston Villa in 2015, he has played in more than 20 Premier League games in a season just once.
During the 2020/21 campaign, he’s featured for Ancelotti’s side just five times, playing 234 minutes overall in the top-flight [WyScout]. It’s understandably concerning for the boss, who has also been without the likes of Allan, James Rodriguez, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin for chunks of the fixtures too.
The real question has to be, does Delph have a future at Goodison Park? He has fierce competition in the centre of midfield. The likes of Sigurdsson, Davies, Doucoure, and Gomes all come ahead of him now.
Even at left-back, Ben Godfrey has excelled whilst playing as a stand-in for Lucas Digne. It appears Delph will have his work cut out for him, when he does manage to maintain some fitness.
In other Everton news, Kevin Campbell wants the Toffees to make a move for Wilfried Zaha.