Everton suffer injury blow after ‘unreal’ ace withdraws from national squad

Add as preferred source on Google

Everton could face Manchester United without Amadou Onana.

That’s according to the Liverpool Echo, who have reported that the midfielder has been forced to withdraw from the Belgium national squad due to a calf injury.

Amadou Onana struggled to impress at the start of his second campaign in the Premier League, however he has managed to turn things around in recent weeks and has played a key role in Everton’s upturn in form.

Having started eleven of the Toffees’ league fixtures so far, Sean Dyche is clearly happy to rely on the ‘unreal’ 22-year-old alongside James Garner and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

However, the Everton boss will be concerned by Onana’s departure from the national team. The midfielder was left out of the match-day squad for Belgium’s win over Serbia and has now withdrawn from the team ahead of their clash with Azerbaijan tomorrow.

Onana missed out on Everton’s 1-1 draw with Brighton prior to the international break, with Dyche admitting that he was struggling with an ‘annoying’ calf problem.

The Belgian returned to the starting line-up against Crystal Palace but was replaced by Idrissa Gueye at half-time. While Onana was available to link up with the national team, it now looks like his calf injury has worsened.

Everton are scheduled to host Manchester United in the Premier League next weekend, though it is unclear whether Onana will be fit to face Erik ten Hag’s side.

How much of a loss would Amadou Onana be for Everton?

Amadou Onana would be a massive loss against the Red Devils, but Idrissa Gueye showed last week that he is very capable of coming in to take his place.

The 34-year-old had struggled for Everton this season and found himself benched due to the success of Onana, Garner and Doucoure, however he certainly impressed when he came on to score the winner against the Eagles.

If Gueye can pick up where he left off next time out then the Toffees shouldn’t miss Onana too much, though Sean Dyche will be a lot happier if he has the midfielder available.

The 52-year-old took a while to find his best midfield but has been gifted with some excellent form in his team that has made selecting his three fairly easy.

If Onana is out, then Gueye will have to take the match against Manchester United as an opportunity to force his way back into Dyche’s plans. The veteran previously didn’t have much competition for his place, but Everton will be hoping his place on the bench will now improve his performances.