Everton have confirmed that Fabian Delph will be available for Wednesday night’s EFL Cup clash with Lincoln City. The 29-year-old had been out of action since early August after picking up a groin injury against Werder Bremen in a pre-season friendly, but he’s set to return and could replace Jean-Philippe Gbamin.
Outside of non-competitive fixtures, Delph hasn’t played a single minute of football for Everton in 2019/20. The wait may be over, however, as he could be making his debut against the Imps. The England international could have an important role to play under Marco Silva, as Gbamin’s isn’t expected to return from injury until November.
Everton still have Andre Gomes, Morgan Schneiderlin and Tom Davies at their disposal, but Silva needs more defensive protection in midfield from a ball-winner. Playing against Lincoln will be a good way for Delph to build up his match fitness ahead of September 1’s Premier League meeting with Bournemouth.
After three weeks without football, the central-midfielder will be lacking some match sharpness and will benefitly from Wednesday night’s run-out as a result. Whether Silva plans to start Delph in the engine room remains to be seen, however.