Andre Gomes is not expected to be available for Everton’s trip to Fulham and is a doubt for the following game with Tottenham Hotspur.
The midfielder suffered a calf injury in training during the club’s January break and, while a timeframe for his recovery is not yet clear, Sean Dyche believes “it is going to be a matter of time”.
His absence is a major blow for Dyche as the Blues boss attempts to deal with the loss of Abdoulaye Doucoure to a second hamstring injury in six weeks. Gomes had emerged as potential cover over Christmas, returning from previous injury trouble to score twice in his first competitive minutes under Dyche.
Doucoure remains absent, while Idrissa Gueye is still at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal. Dyche does not expect to have any of those on his injury list ready for Fulham.
Speaking ahead of the trip to Craven Cottage on Tuesday, Dyche offered an overview of the situation with Gomes. He said: “He isn’t going to be fit this week. It is going to be a matter of time, we don’t know how long yet, but it’s definitely a calf injury, he’s had a couple of them over the last few months. It has been very difficult and it’s a loss to us because I think you’ve seen he was showing he wants to adapt to what we’re doing and play for us, and he scored a great free-kick and looked sharp as he was getting fitter, and now he’s injured again so it’s really frustrating for him and for us.”
