Godfrey has swollen heart due to COVID-19 complications
Everton defender Ben Godfrey is yet to fully recover after contacting COVID-19 heading into 2021-22, and that has affected his game.
According to The Athletic, while the 23-year-old England international is edging closer to full fitness, alarming side effects have significantly hindered his progress and efforts to return to the standards of last season.
There are signs his heart had swollen, and it has had to be closely monitored as it affected his availability to train afterwards.
The Toffees ace is willing to continue to play through the problems, but he has struggled so far.
Blow
Godfrey was one of the best players at Everton last term, but the aftermath of the coronavirus is clearly stopping him from impressing.
He has often struggled with his pace and gets easily fatigued momentarily after sprinting.
While the medical team at Goodison Park remain meticulous in their monitoring and assessment of the player, the unpredictability of how the body recovers from the virus means they can only learn on the job.
The versatile defender has been limited to just six appearances across all competitions so far in 2021-22, and he is eager to start firing on all cylinders.
That could take a while as he continues to recover from the COVID-19, and Everton will be looking to have the old Godfrey back.
With Rafa Benitez eyeing a place in Europe, having the Englishman at his best as soon as possible will come in very handy.
Having only made the Three Lions’ preliminary squad ahead of the summer European Championship, Godfrey knows he has to step up if he wants to force his way into Gareth Southgate’s World Cup plans, and that should keep him inspired going forward.
In other Everton news, Benitez has admitted he finds it hard to understand Toffees man sometimes.
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