Everton are set to have both Abdoulaye Doucoure and Demarai Gray available for their Premier League meeting with league leaders Manchester City at Goodison Park on Saturday evening.
What’s the latest?
According to Toffees boss Frank Lampard, the duo are back in training and are in contention. The 43-year-old said: “With Doucoure and Gray, they’re both training with us and in the squad. The issue for me is if they start. I’ll have to decide whether they’re ready to start. But it’s good to have them back”
Doucoure is yet to feature under Lampard with the Frenchman’s last appearance coming in the 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa whilst Gray missed the 3-0 win over Leeds United and the 2-0 defeat to Southampton last Saturday.
Fans will be ecstatic
With Everton still very much in a relegation battle, having as many key players available for the remainder of the campaign as possible will be crucial for their hopes of avoiding a first-ever Premier League relegation.
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Lampard’s side are currently 16th and two points clear of the drop zone. However, they do boast games in hand on numerous sides in and around the bottom six.
Although Saturday’s opponents will be the clear favourites, having both Doucoure and Gray available will be a major boost for the Toffees in the long term.
This season has been rather stop-start for Doucoure, with the 29-year-old making 16 league appearances having suffered two separate injury-related month-long absences this campaign.
However, the midfielder faces no guarantees of an instant return to the starting lineup as he now faces a squad congested with options in the middle of the park.
Allan is available once again as well as both Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli arriving since the Frenchman was sidelined whilst Andre Gomes has also been in and out of the side of late.
Whose return is the biggest boost?
Doucoure
Gray
As for Gray, the winger has certainly exceeded expectations since his move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer. The 25-year-old has scored six goals and registered three assists in 24 appearances across all competitions, making the Englishman one of the Toffees’ most potent goal-threats.
This will be particularly key for Lampard as he looks to steady the ship on the blue side of Merseyside, with Everton keeping just one clean sheet in their last 14 games across all competitions and most likely in need of goal scorers to ensure victories.
In other news: Lampard axes 0-goal flop, “tireless” £48k-p/w ace starts: Predicted Everton XI vs Manchester City