Stephen Warnock believes the return of Abdoulaye Doucoure will be pivotal in Everton turning around their torrid form.
The Toffees suffered late heartbreak on Saturday as they were beaten 2-1 at home to Luton Town and eliminated from the FA Cup at the fourth round stage. Jack Harrison had cancelled out a Vitaliy Mykolenko own-goal but Cauley Woodrow squeezed in a scruffy added-time corner to send the Hatters through.
Everton now have just one win in their last eight and it should come as no surprise that seven of those games have been without Doucoure, who was only present for the 0-0 draw against Aston Villa on January 14. The 31-year-old’s presence has been missed and Warnock believes his return could prove a turning point.
“They are having a very difficult season with everything going on off the pitch,” Warnock told Match of the Day. “I think Sean Dyche would have liked a home win today and a good FA Cup run but they need to get players back.
“Doucoure is the big one for me, when Everton have got Doucoure in the team, they’re a better team at getting players in the box, they’ve got someone who can carry the ball, they miss any guile and creativity.”
All eyes will now turn to the Premier League and the form of those below has increased the tension on Merseyside. Saturday’s visitors Luton have started picking up points while Burnley are also starting to notch the odd win.
