Everton have confirmed that Theo Walcott has been ruled out of Sunday’s meeting with Liverpool, as the 31-year-old is recovering from ‘abdominal surgery’.
Walcott recently went under the knife and isn’t expected to return for another three weeks, so he could end up missing five Premier League games – Liverpool (June 21), Norwich City (June 24), Leicester City (July 1), Tottenham Hotspur (July 6), Southampton (July 9).
The England international has made 25 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring one goal and making three assists. Walcott has been a regular under Carlo Ancelotti, but his future is uncertain due to poor form.
For a player earning £5.2m-a-year/£100k-a-week, one goal in the last 12 months isn’t good enough. Walcott cost Everton more than £20m in 2018 and has only averaged one goal or assist every five games, so his poor output won’t be missed against a Liverpool side boasting the best defensive record in the league (29 games, 21 goals).
Ahead of Sunday’s Merseyside derby, Everton are 12th in the table with 37 points. The Toffees haven’t beaten their rivals for 10 years and have only scored two goals in their last five head-to-heads.