James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite & Charly Alcarazplaceholder image
James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite & Charly Alcaraz | Getty Images
The latest Everton injury news ahead of the Premier League game against Chelsea - including updates on Jarrad Branthwaite & James Tarkowski.
Everton face another tough test in the Premier League this weekend when they welcome Chelsea to the Hill Dickinson Stadium – a game that will only be made more difficult by injury worries hanging over the heads of several leading players.
Key centre-backs Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski both unexpectedly missed the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal at the weekend due to fitness issues, and could be among as many as five absentees for Saturday’s game.
With kick-off fast approaching, we’ve collected all of the latest Everton injury news and updates below, along with the stricken players’ expected return dates when available.
Will Jarrad Branthwaite & James Tarkowski be fit to face Chelsea?
The exclusion of Jarrad Branthwaite from the matchday squad for the Arsenal match was something of a surprise, given that David Moyes had told the media that the centre-half was expected to play despite missing a recent training trip to Portugal.
“We’re hoping everyone is fine and Jarrad, we think, will be okay,” Moyes had told the media last Friday. “Hopefully we’re all fine.. He’s a really good player, we want him fit for every game.”
In the end, however, Branthwaite missed out. The cause of the lay-off has not been disclosed, but The Liverpool Echo report that Everton are considering managing the 23-year-old’s minutes through the run-in after he missed the first five months of the season with a hamstring injury.
The absence of James Tarkowski, meanwhile, came as a complete surprise. The Everton squad seem only to have found out that the veteran defender might be left out against Arsenal on Friday, and the nature of the injury has not been discussed by Moyes or the club. Current indications are that Branthwaite is expected to be available against Chelsea, but there is no clarity at all as to whether Tarkowski will be able to join him in the starting line-up – nor any indications that he is expected to face a lengthy spell on the sidelines, as it stands.
Charly Alcaraz among three other potential Everton absentees
Everton will also be sweating over the fitness of Argentine forward Charly Alcaraz, who hasn’t played since the end of January due to two separate injuries. The exact nature of the current problem hasn’t been revealed, but Moyes did provide a timeline of “three or four weeks” from late February, suggesting that he stands some chance of being involved against Chelsea in the most optimistic scenario. That has not yet been confirmed.
Moyes will certainly have to make do without the services of on-loan winger Jack Grealish, who is expected to miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on a stress fracture to his foot. There are no current indications that the 30-year-old stands any realistic chance of featuring again before the end of the campaign, a situation which also scuppers any hopes of a late recall to the England squad.
The final player to miss out will be another loan star, versatile forward Tyrique George, who is ineligible to face his parent club this weekend, although there are no concerns over the youngster’s fitness.
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