Early Everton injury news v Brentford as two players could return, Dominic Calvert-Lewin update
Two Everton players could return for Sean Dyche’s side for their upcoming Premier League match against Brentford on Saturday (11 March), according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.
Writing for the Premier Injuries website (7 March), Dinnery shared that Vitalii Mykolenko was the most likely Toffees player to return from the sidelined, with the left-back holding a 75% status and holding a potential return date of 11 March after picking up a knee injury recently.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, meanwhile, holds a 25% status, but no potential return date is yet known from his thigh injury that has contributed to him missing the club’s last five Premier League fixtures.
After featuring with the Everton Under-21s in an attempt to rebuild his fitness, Nathan Patterson could return to the side with a potential return date of this weekend and having a 25% status.
Andros Townsend is the one player definitely ruled out for the crunch Premier League clash as the winger continues his rehab from a knee injury, with a potential return date of early April.
Calvert-Lewin key
Although Everton’s injury list isn’t a long one, the absence of Calvert-Lewin is still being felt on the pitch.
Demarai Gray stepped into the starting lineup and delivered the goods with a goal from the spot against Nottingham Forest, however, the club still desperately need a consistent source of goals.
The only man possible of filling this void is the England international. However, Dyche is likely to be extremely wary of even contemplating playing him if he isn’t fully fit and firing. Toffees fans have witnessed Calvert-Lewin’s premature return end in disaster too many times, and the Toffees manager must be careful not to fall into this trap.
In other injury news, the 75% status of Mykolenko will hopefully be enough to see the Ukranian return to the starting lineup in place of Ben Godfrey. Although the Englishman made an able understudy, having a natural left-footer will offer Everton far more attacking output down that flank.