David Moyes has been speaking on the fitness of Dwight McNeil, James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam ahead of Everton’s trip to Brighton & Hove Albion
Everton manager David Moyes has been handed a potentially major injury blow with the Blues boss fearing that Dwight McNeil might have to go under the knife to cure his knee injury. The Rochdale-born player hasn’t featured for Everton since he went off in their 4-0 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on December 4.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to Brighton & Hove Albion, Moyes said: “I’ve got a little bit of an update on Dwight. It looks like Dwight’s probably going to have surgery on his knee, today’s he’s tried.
“It looks like we’re probably going to have to get him back to the specialist and see – I’m saying surgery, it might be they decide something else – but he’s going to go back and see the specialist again. It’s a real blow because we need him back for things like deliveries and set pieces but also for his general play.
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“By all accounts, everyone has told me he’s performed very well for Everton recently. So, not to have him right now is a big blow.”
Moyes, who will be without club captain Seamus Coleman on Saturday, continued: “I was only just told about this about half an hour before the press conference.
“He (McNeil) was out on the grass this morning and they were trying to get him going but he doesn’t feel right. So they were always saying if he didn’t come through today they would take him back to the specialists, so I’m only relaying what I’ve been told.”
Asked about how long McNeil could potentially be out, Moyes said: “If you get opened up (surgery), I don’t think many people come back before four-six weeks. But it obviously depends on what they do. My general feeling is they don’t think it’s anything so bad, it’s not like he’s got a cruciate or anything like that, I don’t think so, so hopefully he’ll be okay.”
On a more positive note, midfield pair James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam, neither of whom have featured since the goalless draw with Newcastle United on October 5, are both on their way back to fitness.
Moyes said: “James is a wee bit further on than Tim at the moment. Tim’s been back in training the last three or four days. Jimmy’s been back in and around training, as well.
“In an ideal scenario, you’d be trying to give them a couple of Under-21s games if possible and get them some more practice, but if we need to use them, then I would do. They’ll not be too far away because I just need them back in and around the squad to give that little bit more depth.”
