News surrounding Andros Townsend could be set to have a major impact not only on Everton boss Frank Lampard, but also winger Alex Iwobi.

Everton are not exactly in a good place right now, currently sitting just three points above the relegation zone and whilst they do have two games in hand on the team in 18^th, with just two wins in their last ten games in the league, safety is far from secured.

However their task of staying in the league has just taken a major hit as it was announced by the club that winger Townsend will be out for the rest of the season as he sustained an ACL injury during their recent FA Cup defeat to Crystal Palace.

This could have a serious knock-on effect at Goodison Park and it could affect Lampard and Iwobi in to very different ways:

Lampard pulling his hair out

Whilst this season hasn’t been the best for Everton, Townsend has been one of the few bright sparks at the club.

As per WhoScored, on top of the three goals and two assists that he has managed to contribute in the league, he is currently averaging 1 shot per game, 1.5 key passes, 1.2 dribbles, 1.9 fouls drawn and 1.3 crosses, the latter four all rank in the top five of Toffees players whilst the last stat leads the team outright.

So if there was one player that could possibly have made a big impact for Lampard and this Everton side in their battle against relegation, you could make the argument that Townsend would have been one of the prime candidates, and Lampard is now going to have to look elsewhere for it.

A chance at redemption for Iwobi?

That option might come from the Nigerian Iwobi, who has been performing at roughly a similar level to Townsend this season. Along with the two league goals and one assist he’s chalked up, as per WhoScored he is currently putting up 1.1 shots per game, 1 key pass, 1 dribble and 0.2 crosses for the Toffees.

However despite this, a place in the team has been far from a certainty for him this campaign, starting just eleven times in the Premier League, and finding himself in and out of the team since the turn of the year.

This injury to Townsend might just be the opportunity he needs to put together a consistent run in the side and possibly get those numbers up as he gets a run in the team rather than moving in and out.

TIF Verdict…

Losing someone like Townsend is a very critical blow for Lampard, but it shouldn’t be seen as a total disaster. Iwobi has shown this season, as demonstrated by the stats above that he is more than capable of being an important player for Everton, he just hasn’t been able to get a consistent run of playing time under his belt.

This though is the perfect opportunity for him to do so, but whether or not Lampard trusts him or decides to go with another winger, we’ll just have to wait and see.

In other news: Huge potential financial boost, striker licking his lips: Everton rumour emerges – opinion