‘Not great’ – Everton suffer fresh injury blow ahead of Crystal Palace as Toffees now without nine players
‘Not great’ – Everton suffer fresh injury blow ahead of Crystal Palace as Toffees now without nine players
Everton now have nine players on their injury and suspension list ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace
David Moyes has confirmed a medial knee ligament injury for key Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye with the former Sheffield United player set to miss Saturday’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace as a result.
The Eagles host Everton at Selhurst Park in the Saturday evening Premier League kick off and the fresh injury blow comes at a bad time for Everton, who will now be without nine players against Palace.
The Toffees dramatically drew 2-2 with Merseyside rivals Liverpool in midweek but Ndiaye was forced off after 25 minutes. Abdoulaye Doucoure will also be absent against Palace as he was sent off after the final whistle following a confrontation with Reds midfielder Curtis Jones in front of the away supporters.
Moyes confirms Ndiaye blow
Providing a fresh injury update on Friday, Everton boss Moyes said: “Ili has got a medial ligament injury. It’s not looking great at the moment. We’re probably not sure about how long it’s going to be and we’ll maybe get a bit more on that [soon] but it’s certainly going to be a few weeks, anyway.”
Ndiaye is the Toffees’ top scorer this season with eight goals in all competitions with six of those coming in the Premier League. According to the Everton club website, seven other players are already out injured with Ndiaye and Doucoure adding to the absence list. Nathan Patterson (hamstring), Orel Mangala (knee), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (hamstring), Seamus Coleman (calf), Armando Broja (ankle), Youssef Chermiti (thigh) and Dwight McNeil (knee) all remain unavailable and will not be in action against Palace.
Palace are not free of injury themselves with Chadi Riad, Joel Ward and Cheick Doucoure all set to miss the game on Saturday while there are doubts over Eddie Nketiah, Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr.
Moyes on Everton positivity ahead of Palace
James Tarkowski fired in a stunning volley in the 98th minute as Everton drew with Liverpool on Wednesday. Ahead of Saturday’s trip to Palace, Moyes says that has lifted the mood around the club.
He said: “We were smiling in the last minute and since then, we have been. We took a point from the game. We didn’t take three points, so we’re realistic we got something when it looked like it was going to be difficult to get anything at all. I think that made it a bit special, and it’s given us a good feeling.
“Over recent years, everybody’s brought Everton back down to Earth. So, why don’t we try to keep Everton high for a wee while? Isn’t it good there’s positive talk about Everton for a change. We’re getting great support, people behind us. I’m going to try to keep things upbeat as much as I can.
“The players have done brilliantly well. I couldn’t praise them enough for what they’ve done. They’ve got so many good qualities. We’re trying to make things better. We’re trying to make things better in every other aspect if we can. We’re trusting them and giving them the opportunity to show what they can do. I think a lot of them have done it.”
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