David Moyes has endured another injury after Jack Grealish was sidelined for the rest of the Premier League campaign.
David Moyes has enough on his plate. His Everton side sit eighth in the Premier League, chasing European football after overcoming Newcastle United away from home. The squad is thin in key areas, and the manager can ill afford further disruption to his plans.
Yet disruption has arrived regardless. On the eve of a crucial trip to Newcastle, Moyes confirmed another player will be unavailable for the foreseeable future, adding to an injury list that already includes Jack Grealish and Mark Travers.
Moyes confirms midfield blow
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Moyes delivered the news Everton fans did not want to hear. Carlos Alcaraz, the Argentine midfielder who joined permanently last summer after a productive loan spell, has suffered a setback that will keep him sidelined for several weeks.
“Charly Alcaraz has got an injury which is probably going to keep him out for three or four weeks, we think,” Moyes confirmed. “He picked it up in the last minute of training on Sunday, so he was a bit unfortunate because he would have probably started on Monday night.”
The timing is particularly cruel for the 23-year-old. Alcaraz had not started a league game since December, featuring only from the bench in recent weeks. Monday’s visit of Manchester United was meant to be his opportunity to force his way back into contention. Instead, he watched from the stands as Everton fell to a 1-0 defeat.
His last start came against Burnley at the end of December, a 69-minute outing before being replaced by Merlin Rohl in a goalless draw. Just as a pathway opened, injury has closed it again.
Which games will Alcaraz miss?
With a timeline of three to four weeks, Alcaraz is facing a significant spell on the sidelines. The international break at the end of March means he could miss up to four Premier League fixtures if his recovery takes the full month.
Everton travelled to Newcastle, securing a 2-3 win, before hosting Burnley at Hill Dickinson Stadium on 3 March. A trip to Arsenal follows on 15 March, with Chelsea visiting Merseyside on 21 March. Those are four pivotal games in Everton’s push for European qualification, and they will be without the Argentine’s energy and creativity.
The positive news is that Jake O’Brien returns from suspension after missing the Manchester United defeat. James Garner and Idrissa Gana Gueye remain available in midfield, while Merlin Rohl offers another option from the bench. But the loss of Alcaraz, however peripheral he had become, reduces Moyes’s flexibility at a time when squad depth is being tested.
Jack Grealish is out for the season with a foot injury. Travers is doubtful with a finger problem. Now Alcaraz joins them on the treatment table. Moyes will hope this is the last of the bad news for a while.
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