Further blow for Everton as midfielder suffers muscle injury

It never rains, but it pours.

After one of the worst footballing weekends Everton fans have endured for a long time, things did not get much better at the start of the new week.

It was confirmed on Monday that Fabian Delph has been forced to withdraw from the England squad for Euro 2020 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Bulgaria with a muscle injury.

A statement on the Everton website read:

“The midfielder sustained the injury towards the end of Saturday’s Premier League fixture against Burnley and will be assessed today by Everton’s medical staff.”

Delph had only just been recalled to Gareth Southgate’s squad after a bright start to his Everton career.

Since missing the Toffees’ first three games through injury, the 29-year-old has featured in every match since.

The question for Everton fans is how serious is the latest setback given Delph’s patchy fitness record over recent seasons.

The good news is that he has two weeks to be assessed before the Toffees return to action against West Ham.

But even so, he must now be considered a doubt for what is now a pivotal match at Goodison Park on October 19.