What James Garner's injury setback means for Everton's pre-season plans
Everton star James Garner has suffered a fresh injury blow.
The 25-year-old emerged as one of the Blues' best players last season, making 38 Premier League appearances.
That led to a senior debut for England as Thomas Tuchel recognised his form at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Goodison News covered Garner's chances of making the England World Cup squad extensively.
He was unlucky to miss out, but David Moyes may have been relieved as he had time to rest instead of playing at the tournament.
However, the Birkenhead-born star has now got an issue anyway, that threatens to derail the Toffees' plans.
What is the latest on Everton star James Garner's injury?
Everton revealed the issue in a media release before their friendly with Dundee on Saturday.
It said that the two-cap international has groin discomfort after returning to training.
It states that his situation will be assessed next week, meaning he would miss out on the Dens Park clash.
It is far from ideal for Moyes and his side, as Garner is a key player in his engine room, and he would have liked to see him in action, getting minutes under his belt.
What Garner's absence mean for the rest of pre-season?
It likely means that he will miss next Saturday's game against Bolton Wanderers.
Moyes would have ideally had Garner available for the whole of pre-season, so he could get back up to speed.
Hopefully, he will able to return for the games with Stoke City, Hamburg, Vfb Stuttgart, Newcastle and Lille, but the extent of the problem is not known.
It should see the likes of Hayden Hackney, Harrison Armstrong and Tim Iroegbunam get more minutes, if the England ace does not return in quick time.
It makes sense for the Blues to take it slow with Garner though, as if he aggravated the issue, it could leave him with a spell on the sidelines.
The only positive is that there is plenty of time before the season begins, but in an ideal world, he would play a part in the majority of the preparations.
It may mean that Garner enters the season not in peak fitness, which could affect whether he starts in the opening league game against Crystal Palace.