Liam Thomas

Tue 10 January 2023 9:10, UK

Outcasted Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure may be the answer to fill in for his stricken successor Alex Iwobi, according to Liverpool Echo journalist Matt Jones.

Iwobi was stretchered off the Old Trafford pitch in the Blues’ 3-1 defeat to Manchester United in scenes that left Evertonians trembling, with the club since confirming that he will miss at least three weeks with ankle ligament damage.

Nevertheless, Jones admitted that Doucoure may be the answer to fill in for Iwobi with Frank Lampard short of maestro options in his engine room.

“If Lampard gets the midfielder who shows up and shines at United on a semi-regular basis, the man who once couldn’t be replaced at the heart of the Everton team may just be the answer to filling in for his stricken successor,” said Jones as quoted by the Liverpool Echo (January 10).

And he’s not wrong, the Doucoure who came onto the surface at Old Trafford for a brief cameo looked like the player Everton signed from Watford and it was pleasant to see.

Redemption.

This is a real chance at redemption for Doucoure and it may be the best chance he gets at forcing the Blues into giving him a new and improved contract.

Doucoure can still be a useful weapon for Lampard to utilise and looked far better than Idrissa Gana Gueye in the Blues’ loss to United.

It seems like he needs to gain Lampard’s trust back first though, but with Tom Davies seemingly out of the picture and James Garner injured alongside Iwobi, he’ll get his chance to do so.

It’s fair to say that the Frenchman hasn’t filled Blues hearts with much hope after performances last season but it still feels like there’s a player in there, somewhere.

Maybe Lampard can instil some confidence in Doucoure, confidence that can see him reach his highest levels of performance yet again.

Whether Doucoure is the answer to Iwobi’s injury is still unclear, however, the Toffees don’t particularly have any options other than the maestro to turn to in this desperate time of need.