Fabian Delph joined Everton on a three-year deal from Manchester City in July 2019, but his debut season hasn’t gone to plan. The 30-year-old has made only 20 appearances from a possible 34, amassing 1471 minutes from a possible 3060, because four separate injuries have depleted his playing time.
Delph picked up a groin injury in Everton’s pre-season friendly against Werder Bremen (August 3, 2019), keeping him out of the Toffees’ first three Premier League games of the season.
He missed Everton’s 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace (August 10), 1-0 win over Watford (August 17) and 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa (August 23) before returning to feature in their EFL Cup win over Lincoln City (August 28).
The 30-year-old suffered a hamstring injury in October and was still undergoing light training before being ruled out of Everton’s 2-0 win over West Ham United (October 19).
He returned to feature in the Blues’ 3-2 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion (October 26) and 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur (November 3) before being left out in the 2-1 win over Southampton (November 9) as he’d exacerbated his hamstring problem.
Delph missed Everton’s 2-0 defeat to Norwich City (November 23), 2-1 defeat to Leicester City (December 1), 5-2 defeat to Liverpool (December 4), 3-1 win over Chelsea (December 7) and 1-1 draw with Manchester United (December 15). The England international was undergoing light training before the United game and was fit to play in Everton’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal (December 21).
After being sent off in the Blues’ 3-2 win over Watford (February 1), Delph was suspended for their 3-1 win over Crystal Palace (February 8). He returned in Everton’s 3-2 defeat to Arsenal (February 23) and was an unused substitute in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United (March 1), but the midfielder missed Everton’s 4-0 defeat to Chelsea (March 8) due to sickness.