Injury to new signing Jean-Philippe Gbamin might be even worse than Everton feared
Everton midfielder Jean-Phillipe Gbamin is set for a spell on the sidelines after his thigh injury was described as ‘significant’.
The 23-year-old Ivorian was signed from Bundesliga outfit Mainz 05 to replace Idrissa Gana Gueye this summer with the Toffees parting with £22.5m for his signature.
Everton’s midfield issue: Five things to know…
- Gbamin was expected to be a starter in Everton’s midfield.
- They signed Andre Gomes from Barcelona after a successful loan spell…
- …but lost James McCarthy and Gueye.
- Morgan Schneiderlin is returning from a long-term injury.
- Fabian Delph is also struggling for fitness.
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Gbamin missed their 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Friday night and Marco Silva confirmed after the game that is was due to injury.
He said: “It’s more serious than we’d expected and will be some weeks.
“In some hours our medical staff will put out a statement.”
Sure enough, Everton released a statement regarding the injury this morning, which does not make for good reading for Everton fans.
It said: “Midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin has sustained a significant injury to his right quadriceps muscle.
The 23-year-old will undergo further investigation with the Club’s medical staff at USM Finch Farm this week.”
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What does Marco Silva do?
The injury to Gbamin is a massive problem for Everton.
Highly-rated and perfectly suited to the Premier League, his absence means that Everton’s midfield is already looking thin. Schneiderlin has been thrust in despite not being 100% match sharp (underlined by his red card at Selhurst Park) as Fabian Delph is even further away from being ready to play.
The Toffees invested in Andre Gomes after he impressed last season but even he, an ex-Barcelona player, has failed to impress in the opening three games.
Unfortunately, given their injury problems, Marco Silva’s midfield picks itself at the moment. The returns to fitness of Delph and Gbamin cannot come quick enough.
