Everton manager David Moyes confirmed on Friday that summer signing Merlin Rohl had undergone surgery during the international break.
It is not the news which Everton fans were hoping for ahead of their game against Manchester United on Monday evening.
But it is the reality they are being dealt, with Rohl suffering a hernia, which the club pushed him to get addressed during the break.
Last time out, Moyes started Tim Iroegbunam over Rohl for the victory against Fulham; a decision which will have shocked a lot of Everton fans.
However, the decision may now make a lot more sense, with the German going under the knife to see his hernia issue dealt with.
Everton will lose Idrissa Gana Gueye next month to the Africa Cup of Nations and Moyes has now shared whether Rohl may return to action in time to help cover the Senegal international’s absence.
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How long Everton’s Merlin Rohl may miss through injury
Unaware of the injury setback on Merseyside, Alan Stubbs shared his expectation for Rohl to play a bigger role in the coming weeks amid Gueye’s departure.
That is now being put under real pressure following his surgery over the break.
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During his press conference on Friday, Moyes admitted he hopes to see Rohl back in action sooner rather than later.
“Unfortunately, Merlin had an operation a week last Monday on his hernia. It’s going to keep him out for a few weeks,” said Moyes.
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“Hopefully by the time we get around to December, he’ll be fit and ready to go again.”
Rohl has already suffered an injury setback earlier in the season, which hindered his game time to just 91 minutes in the Premier League across four appearances.
It will be frustrating that the German has endured another issue, but there is clear optimism from Moyes that he will return in time to battle for Gueye’s vacant spot in midfield.
Moyes does not know when Idrissa Gana Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye depart for AFCON
When signing African players, there is always the understanding that there is the risk of losing them to AFCON.
And this is something that Everton will have been more than aware of when they landed their Senegalese duo.
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Ndiaye missed an absolute sitter for Senegal over the recent international break, but he and Gueye will both prove massive losses for Everton.
However, it is not yet known when the pair will exactly depart for their international duty.
“I would be surprised if any of the Premier League teams have been given a date exactly, at the moment,” said Moyes.
“It’s part of football when you buy players from Africa. It’s part of their journey that they will got to AFCON and they’re entitled to have their competition.”