Dwight McNeil injury update issued by Sean Dyche ahead of Everton vs Southampton
Sean Dyche has the latest.
Everton boss Sean Dyche is hopeful that Dwight McNeil will be fit enough to feature in Saturday’s Premier League clash with Southampton.
McNeil has been a standout performer for the Toffees so far this season, deployed more centrally and registering three goals and three assists in nine league games.
The 24-year-old, however, was withdrawn in the closing stages of Everton’s 1-1 draw with Fulham and is now facing a race against time to be fully fit for their trip down to the South coast.
Asked about McNeil, who missed training on Thursday, Dyche told a press conference: ‘Dwight has got a chance. He’s done a bit of work with the physios today so we’re hopeful on him.’
Abdoulaye Doucoure was also withdrawn late at Goodison Park last weekend and is similarly a doubt with an unspecificed niggle.
‘Doucs had a situation but has been out on the grass today, so we’ll see how that reacts,’ the Everton boss said when asked about the central midfielder.
Elsewhere, Everton are still without James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam in the middle of the park and Youssef Chermiti up front but could soon be welcoming summer signing Armando Broja into the fray.
‘He’s working hard and his stats are good, but he’s still with the sports science team,’ Dyche said.
‘The crossover may start to occur next week where he starts to do the light stuff with us and then builds into a journey back to playing.
‘He’s been out a fair while so there will need to be some games in there as well.’
After losing their first four league games, Everton are now undefeated in their last five but Dyche still believes there is room for improvement, esepcially after their mixed display last time out.
‘I think that’s beginning to show with some of the performances,’ he said. ‘I think we were wide of our mark last time out [against Fulham], but we still got a valuable point.
‘I think the work the staff, the players and I put in [has helped] and I think it’s beginning to show signs again.
‘We’ve been through this before, where challenges come our way, and we get through it. I think that’s an important part of the fabric of what the Club has been over the past few years – and what it continues to be at this current time.
‘The team have had to show that, and I think we are showing that, once again.’
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