Dwight McNeil picked up a knee problem against Fulham and came through it to play 90 minutes at Southampton. It has since flared, casting doubt over whether he will be available at West Ham United
Dwight McNeil is a doubt for Everton’s trip to West Ham. The midfielder, who has been deployed in a central attacking role for much of the season, is one of three Blues set to undergo a final assessment on Friday.
Abdoulaye Doucoure and Iliman Ndiaye are among them, with both understood to have a favourable outlook for Saturday afternoon’s match.
McNeil’s situation is more precarious, however. The 24-year-old was a last-minute inclusion for the trip to Southampton after hobbling off in the home draw against Fulham seven days earlier.
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He played the full 90 minutes in the narrow defeat at St Mary’s, moving onto the left for the closing stages after Ndiaye was pulled off with a dead leg. McNeil almost created the opening goal from out wide, swinging a delicious ball in for Jack Harrison, only to see his teammate cushion a volley wide of Aaron Ramsdale’s goal.
The knee injury that hampered his preparations for Southampton had settled enough for him to be considered available for selection at the weekend, Sean Dyche said, but has since flared, raising questions about whether he will be fit for the game in east London.
Doucoure missed that match with a issue in the groin area that club staff initially feared would rule him out for weeks. Those fears were not realised, however, and he and Ndiaye will be assessed on Friday to see how their injuries reacted to training work on Thursday morning.
Seamus Coleman will miss the West Ham game with what is currently understood to be a minor hamstring problem. The club is awaiting the results of a scan to learn the severity of the injury.
