An injury expert has given his reaction to the latest news on Everton’s Ben Godfrey after what he’s heard from Frank Lampard.
The Lowdown: Godfrey injured
As cited by The Liverpool Echo on Monday afternoon, Lampard claimed that Godfrey would be out for ‘four to five weeks’, after he was forced off with a hamstring injury early in the first half of their 4-1 win at home to Brentford in the FA Cup last weekend.
They clearly missed his presence in the heart of the defence in their 3-1 loss away at Newcastle United in the Premier League in midweek, given that both Mason Holgate and Michael Keane were statistically rated among the Goodison Park faithful’s worst players on the night.
The Latest: Injury expert reacts
Speaking to Football Insider, injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis, has now given his reaction to Lampard’s news, claiming that Godfrey could even be out for longer than he initially expects:
“The caveat is that it was a minimum timeframe.
“We can understand from that timeline that we are looking at a grade two tear.
“It’s always difficult to predict exactly how long he’ll be out. It could even be longer than that five-week period.
“You have to make sure you are mitigating all of the risks because these injuries have got a high recurrence rate.
“Another setback with this injury could potentially end his campaign, so you don’t want to rush him back.
“Godfrey is going to want to impress the new boss. He was given a start in that first game and unfortunately, he has limped out early doors.
“But it is an area where Everton are fairly well stocked. There is no need at this particular point in time to take any unnecessary risks.
“If we’re looking at March, there is an international break there. They would ideally target something before that.
“But if they are erring on the side of caution, they may wait until after that.”
The Verdict: Worrying
It is certainly worrying to hear that Godfrey could potentially be out for longer than the next few weeks, especially given the fact that the Merseyside club are currently in a relegation battle.
He ranks highly among his teammates in terms of average tackles, clearances and blocks per game in the Premier League so far this season (WhoScored), and will be needed towards the end of the campaign when the games get even more crucial.
Nonetheless, Lampard will want Godfrey as another option in his squad, should the Toffees keep on shipping goals like the three that they did against the Magpies.
In other news, find out who the Blues are now closing in on as their new Director of Football here!