Fabian Delph should be fit to face West Ham United in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night, Everton have confirmed. Carlo Ancelotti said ahead of Saturday’s win over Crystal Palace that the 30-year-old would be rested on the weekend to be ready for their midweek clash.
“Fabian was out for a long time and he recovered well, properly. He played more than 60 minutes really well (against Fleetwood). I want to give him more training sessions to be ready to play in the Premier League. He will not travel with the team to Palace because I prefer to keep him (at USM Finch Farm) to train and be ready for the game against West Ham.”
Delph played for an hour in our EFL Cup win over Fleetwood Town (September 23) without issue, so his second appearance of the season should come in just over 48 hours.
Where has Delph been?
Injured, for most of this year. The England international made 20/43 appearances in all competitions last season, but he only managed seven in 2020.
Before the turn of the year, Delph picked up a groin injury in August and a hamstring injury in October before exacerbating the problem in November and December.
After the New Year, he was suspended in February, had sickness in March and suffered muscle problems that would keep him out for the remainder of the campaign.
This season, Delph missed our 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur (September 13), EFL Cup win over Salford City (September 16) and 5-2 win over West Bromwich Albion (September 19) before returning against Fleetwood.
Will he feature much this season?
If he’s not sold. Delph’s future at Goodison Park is uncertain as he’s coming off the back of a woeful debut campaign that saw him suffer poor form and poor fitness, but he may be useful in a backup role.
Carlo Ancelotti prefers Andre Gomes, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan in midfield, but he will need depth in case of injury as Gylfi Sigurdsson and Tom Davies haven’t set the place alight in the last 12 months.
Both players have been linked with moves away from Everton too – Sigurdsson (MLS) and Davies (Southampton) – so it remains to be seen if they’ll still be on the books when the summer transfer window shuts.
Delph has even been linked with Burnley himself, but he will want to prove himself on Merseyside. The 30-year-old won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and three Capital One Cups at Manchester City, so he’ll surely be too proud to flop at Everton.