Frank Lampard was joined by Duncan Ferguson and his new squad of players at Finch Farm on Monday, where he held his first training session ahead of the FA Cup clash this weekend against Brentford, but there were some notable absences.
A double injury blow was delivered last week in a club statement on the website when it was confirmed that Abdoulaye Doucoure would miss at least four weeks of football.
That came after sustaining an injury in the 65th minute of the game against Aston Villa earlier this month at Goodison Park, where he was immediately subbed off due to a groin problem.
The other injury blow is a further setback for Fabian Delph. The 32-year-old has been struggling to maintain fitness throughout the season with just six appearances in the Premier League so far, and will remain sidelined for a little longer as he sustained a thigh problem in training last week, so will join Doucoure in rehabilitation at the club.
The absence of experienced players in the side is already a huge blow for Lampard, who will be working on developing how he can put his best foot forward in building his team, implementing his new signings alongside Everton’s existing crop of players.
Doucoure, especially, will be a big miss for the side as he has been one of the more impactful players in his position this season, playing a key role in the midfield this season when he has been available to play.
Owen Hargreaves was even quoted as saying “He’s much like [N’golo] Kante” earlier this term after his outstanding performance vs Burnley.
The 29-year-old has provided versatility playing a number of roles in midfield, displaying both offensive and defensive attributes, with two goals and four assists from outside of the box already for the Toffees, as well as winning the majority of his duels and being successful in a large percentage of his dribbles in the Premier League this season so far according to SofaScore.
Of course, the club has since bolstered their ranks with the signings of Dele Alli and Donny van de Beek but Doucoure’s injury will still be frustrating for Lampard as he seeks to make an instant impact on Everton’s season by playing his strongest team. It also presents a major dilemma as to how he selects his team in the opening month of his tenure.
Evidently, without the combative midfielder they are a weaker team so sourcing a solution immediately will be of utmost importance to the Chelsea legend.
With an FA Cup challenge imminent and the return of the Premier League just after, the side will be desperate to pick up points to avoid a potential relegation battle towards the end of the campaign.
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