Dwight McNeil will be assessed this week after the player suffered the re-occurrence of a knee injury that hampered him earlier this season.
The midfielder was absent from the squad that travelled to Arsenal after the issue flared in midweek. After the game, which saw a resilient Everton earn a valuable point at the Emirates, Sean Dyche confirmed the problem was the same one he suffered in October
McNeil was pulled off in the final stages of the home draw with Fulham with the injury and played through the pain in the defeat at Southampton seven days later.
He then missed the draw at West Ham United as the problem continued to cause him issues and it was only after the November international break that he returned to action.
The return of the injury will be of concern to Everton, with McNeil one of Dyche’s most trusted players. In a team that has struggled for goals he has been at the centre of much of the best attacking play of the campaign, providing three league goals and a host of assists.
His set-pieces are Everton’s most direct route to goal – all four of the strikes in the recent win over Wolverhampton coming from corners and free-kicks.
Everton medics will monitor the injury into next week and, at this stage, are understood to be hopeful the issue is just a minor setback.
