Marco Silva says Jean-Philippe Gbamin is “still out” ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Manchester City. The 24-year-old has made just two appearances since joining from Mainz and is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Silva said in his pre-match press conference: “JP Gbamin and Andre Gomes are still out.” In the midfielders’ absence, Morgan Schneiderlin has partnered Fabian Delph but results have left a lot to be desired.
Gbamin made his debut in a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace (August 10) and got a full 90 minutes in Everton’s 1-0 win over Watford (August 17). He’s been out of action ever since, however, and isn’t expected to return until late-October/early-November.
The Ivorian international has missed Everton’s last six games – a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa (August 23), 4-2 win over Lincoln City (August 28), 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers (September 1), 3-1 defeat to Bournemouth (September 15), 2-0 defeat to Sheffield United (September 21) and a 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday (September 24).
Ahead of Everton’s Premier League clash with City, Silva’s men have lost two on the bounce and are currently closer to the relegation zone (three points) than the top-four (four points) after six games.