Arnaut Danjuma to make debut, Dwight McNeil misses out – Everton predicted XI v Fulham
Arnaut Danjuma could make his Everton debut when his side host Fulham at Goodison Park on the opening day of the Premier League season.
The winger, who joined on a season-long loan deal from Villarreal on 23 July, could be joined in the starting lineup by fellow new arrival Ashley Young.
Dwight McNeil will be absent for the game after Sean Dyche confirmed he suffered ankle ligament damage in the pre-season friendly against Stoke City on 29 July, with Seamus Coleman and Dele Alli also ruled out through injury.
“It’s not going to be days,” Dyche told the Liverpool Echo about McNeil’s injury. “It’s going to be weeks rather than days. We’re waiting on a weekly update if you like. So, yeah, we’ll see how long it takes. He’s just hurt his ankle ligaments.”
Danjuma, who missed the 1-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon on 5 August with a minor knock, was expected to return to training this week and is the likely candidate to replace McNeil on the wing.
On that basis and following the win and clean sheet against the Portuguese side, it’s likely Dyche will want to stick to a similar lineup for the Premier League season opener against Fulham.
Jordan Pickford gets the nod in goal and the same back four that lined up against Sporting – comprised of James Tarkowski, Ben Godfrey, Nathan Patterson and Ashley Young – will take to the field again.
Tarkowski picked up an injury late on in last week’s friendly, but The Bobble tweeted on 8 August that he has recovered from that knock and is back in training.
It gets slightly trickier as you move forward with the team, as James Garner has featured heavily in pre-season, but there may be no place for him in the lineup against Fulham.
Instead, Amadou Onana, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gana Gueye will start in midfield, with Alex Iwobi and Danjuma – if he is fit – on the wings.
After returning to the starting lineup against Sporting, Dominic Calvert-Lewin will spearhead the attack as he looks to help his side get their season off to the perfect start.
In other Everton news, the Toffees have agreed a big-money deal to sign a new forward.