Everton face their final match of pre-season against Manchester United at Old Trafford tomorrow.
It will be the biggest test of Rafa Benitez’s first Toffees summer, with just a week to go before the start of the Premier League campaign.
Everton might have been expecting to face United’s two new faces – Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane.
But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said that he doesn’t expect either man to be ready for tomorrow.
He said of Sancho and Varane: “They still haven’t trained with us, and I need to see how they are.
“I can’t see them being available for Everton [this weekend], but hopefully they will be ready to be on the bench [against Leeds].
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“[Varane] hasn’t done his medical yet, but that should be OK. Luke [Shaw], Harry [Maguire], Fred — a few — will only have the Everton game [on Saturday] to prepare.
“It’s still not perfect, because I think teams with fewer players in tournaments do have an advantage early on, but we’re as ready as we can be.”
The result isn’t really important tomorrow; it’s about fitness and getting used to Benitez’s ideas.
But Solskjaer’s update boosts Everton’s chances of a decent result, as does the fact Brentford drew 2-2 at Old Trafford in United’s last outing.
The Toffees got a 3-3 draw there back in February and similar drama tomorrow would make for a great spectacle for the neutral.