Sean Dyche could turn to Katia Kouyate as injury woes emerge ahead of Everton v Liverpool
Katia Kouyate’s sharp rise in form in recent matches may have come at the perfect time for Sean Dyche as Everton prepare to face Liverpool on Wednesday (24 April).
Despite netting just one goal in his first 13 Premier League 2 appearances of the season, the 20-year-old striker has hit a slight purple patch with a goal in each of his last two Under-21s matches.
Like the first team, Paul Tate’s youth side are struggling to move away from the bottom of the table, currently sitting four points above 26th-place Derby County.
Kouyate can certainly take confidence from his contributions recently, though, scoring in a five-goal thriller against Blackburn Rovers and the 1-1 draw with Leeds United.
Though the youngster has yet to make his professional debut, Dyche may have no choice but to turn to him ahead of the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Wednesday night.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday (23 April), he said: “Hopefully [Dominic Calvert-Lewin] will be back for tomorrow. We will wait and see on that one.
“[Beto] definitely won’t feature for these next couple of games but he will be back after that – following the protocols, and rightly so. Good news so far. He has had all the checks needed and he’s fine.”
Katia Kouyate could be called upon for Everton v Liverpool
The less said about Beto’s injury the better. His clash of heads with Morgan Gibbs-White was sickening, and all those at Goodison Park will be hoping for a swift recovery.
Uncertainty over Calvert-Lewin will also be a worry ahead of the Merseyside derby, and with Lewis Dobbin already sidelined, Dyche has few options to fall back on now.
Kouyate has hit a similar vein of form as Calvert-Lewin, having scored in his last two appearances, with the senior man netting twice in his last three games, making it five for the league season.
The manager will be extremely happy to see Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil chip in with important goals against Nottingham Forest last time out, but Liverpool are an entirely different animal.
In other Everton news, the likelihood of the Toffees being successful in their latest points deduction appeal has been shared.
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