Injured pair still weeks away from Everton return

Youssef Chermiti and Tim Iroegbunam are both being forced to be patient with regard to their anticipated returns to action as the pair deal with their respective long-term injuries.

Chermiti has been sidelined since sustaining a toe injury in pre-season while Iroegbunam was recently forced into the treatment room by a stress fracture and it’s possible that neither player sees action until December at the earliest.

Sean Dyche was asked about their progress in his pre-match press conference ahead of this weekend’s clash with Fulham at Goodison Park and he admitted that both players are still weeks away from being fit.

“Chermiti’s making progress but, obviously, it’s a very strange injury [with] the tendon coming off the big toe. He’s beginning to progress but he’s still a number of weeks away, that’s for sure.”

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On Iroegbunam, the manager explained: “We’re certainly looking at [a matter of] weeks because of the type of injury it is, a bone injury, so we’ve just got to wait for it to settle. He’s in a [protective] boot at the moment and [it’s a case of] waiting for that to heal and then getting back to training.”

Dyche described how Dele Alli has now resumed his training regimen following his latest minor injury set-back while James Garner is still being assessed by a specialist for the back problem that kept him out of Saturday’s win at Ipswich.

Armando Broja, meanwhile, is getting closer to being able to start full training as he looks to make his first appearance for the Blues since arriving on loan from Chelsea at the end of August.

“He’s been doing loads of work with the sports science team,” Dyche said, “[It’ll be a case of] a soft start for him and then see where that goes but hopeful that that will continue because he’s been making progress.”

Reader Comments (18)

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Kevin Prytherch

1 Posted
24/10/2024 at
18:21:58

Ridiculous from Dyche.

He can play Tarkowski through any injury he likes but can’t hurry these two up.

Get them on the field – what’s the worst that could happen?

Bobby Mallon

2 Posted
24/10/2024 at
18:35:39

Mr Dyche,

Please don’t ever listen to Kevin regarding injuries.

If it was up to Kevin, Calvert-Lewin ould be retired now.

Derek Knox

3 Posted
24/10/2024 at
18:44:51

Bobby, I don’t think Dyche listens to anybody, and certainly not the two hard-boiled eggs.

Discussions on the side-line start just after half-time, then he makes a sub in injury time!

Mark Taylor

4 Posted
24/10/2024 at
19:29:45

Given how our injuries tend to pan out, we won’t see Chermiti or Ireogbunam until next year at the earliest. And probably not the start of the year either. Shame because I’d like to see what Chermiti in particular could do for us, he has barely appeared.

Is Broja on a loan? Do we have to pay him for not playing? Not the smartest move in the book unless his other club pay most of his wages. We’re like the NHS, free for all…

Poor old Dele, always one step away from full fitness. I’m afraid I doubt it will ever happen. Still, at least he’s off the books now.

Dave Abrahams

5 Posted
24/10/2024 at
19:42:03

Mark (4),

Broja is on loan but we don’t have to pay him any wages until he is fit enough to play.

Mark Taylor

6 Posted
24/10/2024 at
22:59:35

Dave,

Thanks goodness for that. Let’s hope we don’t get in a position where we can’t even afford to pay him, and that this sales goes through asap.

Mike Gaynes

7 Posted
25/10/2024 at
01:50:22

“What’s the worst that could happen?”??

He’s kidding, right?

Neil Lawson

8 Posted
25/10/2024 at
06:49:21

Is Dyche waiting to “get them on the grass” or to put them out to grass?

If Broja breaks down and doesn’t get fit then his loan could end in May without us having to pay him. Concerned to know how he is managing on the £150k (or whatever) that Chelski are paying him.

Michael Lynch

9 Posted
25/10/2024 at
09:29:40

I just hope the Friedkin deal goes through in time to bring in some bodies during the transfer window. I know it’s a terrible time to buy players, but our squad is so wafer-thin that, if a couple more succumb to months-long injuries, we will struggle to put out a team capable of picking up any points.

As it is, our bench was ridiculous at Ipswich. One striker and no other forwards or creative midfielders. It’s a good job the opposition was so poor, but Fulham will be a different proposition tomorrow.

Brian Harrison

10 Posted
25/10/2024 at
09:37:16

I find Dyches comments on injured players very confusing.

Starting with Branthwaite, of who m hesaid on 18 July, after what Dyche described as a ‘minor operation’, Branthwaite said he would be back in training in 2 weeks, yet we didnt see him for months.

A couple of weeks back, he said Patterson was weeks away from being ready, yet was included in the squad a week later to play Ipswich.

I also don’t know why he keeps giving updates on Dele Alli, he ceased being our player in the summer.

Now Broja is still some while away, as is Chermiti, I just hope that both have had some game time before the busy Xmas games start.

Alan J Thompson

11 Posted
25/10/2024 at
11:04:19

We have a “sports science team”?

What a pity nobody consulted them about training regimes or are we still training with swords?

Stuart Sharp

12 Posted
25/10/2024 at
13:09:31

Post #1 might just be the craziest I’ve read on TW in weeks. And as we all know, the bar is set pretty high…

Tony Abrahams

13 Posted
25/10/2024 at
13:27:20

I think Kevin has just been waiting for the sharks and the crocodiles Stuart!

Christy Ring

14 Posted
25/10/2024 at
13:30:24

I was at the Sligo Rovers game in preseason. Chermiti came off the bench and scored twice, he has pace, height and looks very promising.

Broja is definitely an improvement on Beto, both will strengthen the bench, and give us options.

Derek Knox

21 Posted
25/10/2024 at
15:21:32

Christy, I haven’t seen Chermiti in the flesh playing, but I have watched him in the pre-season games, and totally concur with your statement. I believe given a run of games he has the potential to be a force within the game.

However, these injuries, as with any player, definitely don’t help either the player or the team. Let’s hope it is a freak injury and he isn’t another sick-note in the making!

I feel the same about Broja, who must have shown something for Chelsea to splash out on him, although he hasn’t exactly been a revelation since, and hope he isn’t another perennial Treatment Room attendee!

Anthony Dove

22 Posted
25/10/2024 at
15:59:27

Both are some way off being much of a miss at the moment, and Chermiti has been here a while now.

Still, there’s time for them to develop… unlike Beto.

Ajay Gopal

23 Posted
25/10/2024 at
17:08:20

All through this season so far, we have never had our first-choice XI, having missed Coleman, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Patterson, Garner, Gana, and Iroegbunam, for various lengths of time. Tarkowski has also been playing through an injury,

Lindstrøm has not been Premier L eague match fit, our substitute strikers Chermiti and Broja are yet to make an appearance this season, and it is remarkable that we are at 8 points from 8 games.

When these players become available, we will have a competitive team.

Si Cooper

24 Posted
27/10/2024 at
00:07:36

The nature of Chermitis injury is a bit worrying.
A tendon evulsion on the big toe? Hard to imagine how that even happens.
Hopefully they got to it quick enough to keep the flexibility in the tendon and were able to re-anchor it properly. If not then youd imagine hed lose some mobility in the big toe which could easily affect basics such as balance and overall mobility.
Proper rehabilitation will be key either way and a fair amount of time would have been involved in making sure the initial re attachment had ‘taken and was strong.