Everton boss David Moyes must give Tyler Dibling a chance to shine against the Gunners.
The Blues welcome the league leaders to Hill Dickinson on Saturday with options limited for Moyes.
Senegalese duo Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye depart for AFCON, and could miss up to seven games.
It couldn’t have come at a worse time, with the in-form Kiernan Dewsbury Hall forced off against Chelsea.
The 27-year-old limped off after just 15 minutes at Stamford Bridge. No details have yet been provided about the severity of the injury, though it was a worrying sight.
Moyes also confirmed after the game that Jack Grealish could have picked up a hamstring injury. It never rains, eh Blues?
Even if Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall recover in time for Saturday evening, Moyes will still be without Ndiaye.
Arguably the club’s biggest threat creatively, whoever starts against Arsenal has big boots to fill.
Indeed, perhaps it’s finally time to see what £40m signing Tyler Dibling can do. The youngster has barely featured since his summer move from Southampton.
SELECTION ISSUES COULD BE OPPORTUNITY FOR DYBLING TO BEGIN HIS EVERTON CAREER
The 19-year-old has only played 82 minutes of Premier League football so far this season. However, the prodigiously talented attacker now has an opportunity to earn his place in the XI.
Dwight McNeil would be an obvious alternative, and performed well as a substitute against Bournemouth and Notts Forest.
Should Grealish also be unavailable, McNeil will likely feature on the left in place of the loanee.
However, if Dibling is the future of the club, the youngster should start in Ndiaye’s place regardless.
Yes, it’ll be an enormous challenge for such an inexperienced player, but it’s a chance an ambitious one would grasp.
Moyes is likely to play it safe given the option, but starting Dibling could be the last thing Mikel Arteta would expect.