Carlo Ancelotti is hopeful that Mason Holgate will face Aston Villa on Thursday evening and says he’ll check on Monday how the 23-year-old is getting on. Holgate has missed Everton’s last two Premier League games due to a shin injury, but he could return in midweek to start alongside Michael Keane if Yerry Mina isn’t passed fit.
When asked in Everton’s press conference if the central defender could be back in time to face Villa, Ancelotti said: “I think so, we have to check on Monday.” Holgate has made 31 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring one goal with three assists.
The £12.15m-rated defender hadn’t missed a game between mid-October and early-July, but he was absent for Everton’s 1-1 draw with Southampton (July 9) and 3-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers (July 12). In the four games leading up to Holgate’s shin injury, Everton conceded only two goals. They’ve conceded four goals in two games without him, however.
Ahead of Thursday’s clash, Ancelotti’s side are 11th in the Premier League with 45 points from 35 games. They’re five points adrift of 10th-placed Burnley, so their goal is more to consolidate their position rather than climb up the table.