Ben Godfrey opens up on injury hell as Everton defender eyes return
Everton defender Ben Godfrey has vowed that he will never take his fitness for granted after experiencing a nightmare spell on the sidelines.
Godfrey, 24, has only made one appearance this season after he picked up an injury in the opening game of the season against Chelsea.
He fractured his fibula and has not featured since for Everton. The centre back is targeting the Boxing Day clash with Wolves as the fixture when he can make his long-awaited return.
Godfrey says that this long-term injury has been a “massive shock” to his body system, and it has been really “tough” for him, as he came through the hardest phase of his career so far.
“It’s probably been the hardest period of my career so far in terms of an injury,” said Godfrey, as quoted by The Press [7 December].
“I’ve been really fortunate throughout my career that most of the injuries I’ve had have been short term. A few weeks at most with muscle strains, that sort of thing, never anything too long.
“When you’re playing week-in week-out and that gets taken away from you, it’s mentally so difficult to adapt to that. You just miss that feeling of competing on a Saturday.
“When it gets taken away, it’s a massive shock to the system. I’ve tried to stay as positive as possible and seeing bits of progress with the injury as little wins.
“It’s changed my outlook and I’m so appreciative of being back fit. It’s something that I’ll never take for granted.”
Boost
The return of Godfrey is a massive boost for the club and Frank Lampard.
He can use the rest of the World Cup break to train properly. He will still be short of match fitness, and it will require a few games at least to get his sharpness back.
Godfrey is a quality defender, and he gives Lampard a lot of options at the back.
Conor Coady and James Tarkowski have forged a defensive partnership at the back for the Toffees, and Lampard may not be willing to break that partnership.
However, he will have to find a way to integrate Godfrey into the starting line-up. Could it result in a change in formation?
With Mason Holgate also around, Lampard has too many players in defence, and he should look to get rid of fringe players like Yerry Mina and Michael Keane.
While Mina has badly struggled with injuries in the past 18 months, Keane has surprisingly become surplus to requirements at Goodison Park.