Andre Gomes dropped to reserves as Everton under-21s face off against Southampton
Everton midfielder Andre Gomes has been dropped to the reserves to face off against Southampton on Monday 4 December.
The 30-year-old midfielder, who spent last season on loan at Lille, hasn’t made a single appearance for the Blues this campaign after being sidelined through injury since August.
The Portuguese maestro who almost quit Goodison Park (FotoMac, 13 September) over the summer has been stepping up his fitness over the past few weeks and was also spotted in first-team training with Sean Dyche’s squad on Friday (1 December).
However, it seems the former LOSC Lille man has been dropped to reserves against Southampton on Monday evening (4 December) to step up his fitness and recovery.
Huge chance
It’s positive news to see Gomes back in training with the rest of the Everton players after he has endured a difficult time with injuries over the past few years.
Since joining the Toffees from Barcelona in 2018, the midfielder has made 100 appearances for the club, scoring two goals and laying on seven assists.
Given he is not ready for first-team action at Goodison Park as yet, the decision to drop him to the reserves is a pretty sound one given he needs minutes such as the under-21s to get back to full fitness.
After being deemed surplus to requirements by previous Blues boss Frank Lampard, he went out on loan to French side Lille last season, where he scored three goals and laid on two assists in 27 appearances.
Dyche may be more open to giving the Portuguese a chance at Goodison Park than his predecessor as he looks to be closing in on a return to full fitness.
And he may now have been handed a huge chance to stake a claim in the Everton squad starting for the reserves against Southampton. Hopefully, it’s a chance he grabs with both hands.
In other Everton news, a Sky Sports pundit was amazed by something he saw after the Toffees’ win at Nottingham Forest.