Ancelotti puts timeline on Doucoure return for Everton
Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that he hopes to have Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure back available to him in “two or three weeks”.
The Frenchman has been sidelined with a fractured foot injury since early March after being forced off in the Blues’ 1-0 win over West Brom.
Since then Ancelotti has seen further injuries mount up among his midfield options, with Andre Gomes, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Allan picking up knocks of their own.
Speaking after Everton’s draw with Brighton however, Ancelotti explained that he hopes to have Doucoure back available in a few weeks time.
When asked about having to regroup ahead of facing Tottenham on Friday, Ancelotti said: “Until now we’ve done well, apart from the last four games that were not good.
“But it was the moment where we had important injuries all in one position. In midfield I practically had only Tom Davies available and this affected us.
“I hope to recover Allan soon and in two or three weeks also Doucoure.”
Timely return
Though Everton could really do with Doucoure returning before the Tottenham clash this weekend, any return date is a positive return date.
Since signing from Watford in the summer, Doucoure has exhibited an unmatched energy and work rate on Merseyside, and his control of the midfield has been missing massively since his injury.
Doucoure isn’t relied upon to do the dirty defensive work or to create an offensive spark, but his ability to keep the game ticking along at a tempo that Everton can take advantage of is huge, and with some tough fixtures ahead his return couldn’t come soon enough.
That said Doucoure has also shown himself to be someone valuable in defence for the Blues. In his last game against West Brom for example he won all ten of his defensive duels before coming off injured (via WyScout), demonstrating his ability to operated across a variety of midfield positions effectively.
Should Allan return soon Everton might stand a chance of making Europe, and with Doucoure added to the mix the club’s end of season approach would appear much more promising.
In other Everton news, Rio Ferdinand thinks Manchester United should sign ‘fantastic’ Everton ace.
Be sure to follow Goodison News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on Everton and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Campbell.