Michael Ball hopes to see Doucoure start for Everton v Aston Villa this week
Former Everton defender Michael Ball would like to see Abdoulaye Doucoure start against Aston Villa on Thursday after making the bench against West Ham.
The French midfielder had been out injured since early March after having fractured his foot against West Brom, with the Blues hugely missing his presence in the months since then.
Signed from Watford last summer, Doucoure quickly established himself as a vital player under Carlo Ancelotti.
Speaking in his column with the Liverpool Echo, Ball expressed hope that the 28-year old would be selected to start in the Villans.
Ball said: “Obviously it’s up to Carlo Ancelotti concerning when Abdoulaye Doucoure eventually comes back into the side.
“It was great to see him on the bench on Sunday and many wanted to see him in the starting lineup, but obviously he wasn’t ready.
“I thought he was going to come on at some point, I thought we needed those legs in midfield, but it doesn’t seem that he was ready to do that.
“If he’s ready, I’d love to see him starting against Villa. He’s been a massive miss for us since he’s been injured, the sooner he’s back in the starting 11 the better.”
Much anticipated return
Doucoure had been a long-standing target for Everton before finally making the move to Merseyside last summer, and he quickly showed why after switching Vicarage Road for Goodison Park.
No other midfielder at Everton is able to deliver the same level of energy or work rate as Doucoure, and because of how effectively he has been able to set the tempo, the Blues have greatly missed him during his time on the sidelines.
Many would have hoped to see him return to action against West Ham last weekend but, as Michael Ball quite rightly says, he must not have been ready. Ancelotti doesn’t want to rush him back for the sake of it, especially if it could risk him being out for even longer.
We’ll likely see Doucoure feature against Aston Villa on Thursday, whether he starts or emerges off the bench, and that will be massive for the club given how important the remaining four fixtures are.
Fingers crossed he’s ready to play and ready to help Everton in their pursuit of European football.
In other Everton news, Everton have been handed a major boost ahead of their Premier League clash with Aston Villa.
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