Allardyce handed double availability boost
New Everton boss Sam Allardyce has been dealt a double selection boost ahead of his debut Everton game, with the Toffees hosting Premier League new-boys Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
Both Michael Keane and Oumar Niasse will be available for selection, with the former recovering from an injury that kept him out of the squad that took on West Ham on Wednesday night, and the latter of whom returns following his two-match suspension he received for an act of deceptive simulation against Crystal Palace.
Niasse was adjudged to have negatively influenced the referees decision to award Everton an early equalising penalty against Crystal Palace in mid-November, where Scott Dann’s contact was deemed to be insufficient for Niasse to have gone over.
That suspension, the first to be awarded for that reason in the Premier League, is over ahead of the game against the Terriers. Wayne Rooney’s hat-trick on Wednesday put him ahead of Niasse at the top of Everton’s goal-scoring chart for the season, which gives Allardyce some options.
Michael Keane however has struggled for form as of late, and will have to fight with Ashley Williams and Mason Holgate for a position in the eleven tomorrow – which may prove difficult after such an impressive display against West Ham.
Talking in his pre-match press conference, Allardyce said;
I’m glad to have them back in the squad.
Especially from a Michael Keane point of view because, defensively, we only had those four players who played on Wednesday night.