OPINION
Everton manager Marco Silva will effectively have to pull a rabbit out of a hat if the reported injury concern regarding midfielder Idrissa Gueye amounts to anything.
The Liverpool Echo reported on Sunday that the 29-year-old central midfielder limped off during Senegal’s 3-0 victory over Sudan on Saturday following a strong tackle and that the Toffees were now sweating over his fitness.
If Gueye is set to miss any games in the near future than Marco Silva has a near impossible task to cope without him.
The midfielder is a key part of the Toffees’ set-up as he effectively runs the midfield for them as he does the dirty work that his more attacking teammates choose to ignore.
Gueye has excelled in his seven outings across all campaigns this season and the Toffees were noticeably worse during their 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town due to the midfield enforcer being absence with a knee injury.
Without the 29-year-old in the heart of the Toffees’ side, it leaves them painfully vulnerable and there for the taking.
Silva has very few central midfielders to call upon as it is and has nobody who really is able to do the job Gueye does to the same standard.
Therefore the Toffees manager would actually take everyone by surprise, basically pulling a rabbit out of a hat, if he found a way to cope without the midfielder if it ends up being bad news.
However he has to find someone to cope with the reported injury concern as after spending big in the summer, expectations are high at Goodison Park.
The Toffees may have beaten a struggling Fulham side and just about overcame a 10-man Leicester City, but during their outings with Huddersfield Town and West Ham they were a disappointment all over the field.
This all means that Silva, if he doesn’t want pressure to arrive at his door step, he has to find a way to deal with the near-impossible task of not having Gueye to help him if the reported injury concerns sees him stuck on the sidelines.