Richarlison and Sigurdsson out for Everton at West Ham

Just when it seemed like Everton had gotten over the recent string of injuries that had limited Carlo Ancelotti’s team selections, the Italian manager gave Everton an injury update they did not want to hear.

After picking up a knee injury in training, Richarlison has been ruled out of this weekends match with West Ham United. Ancelotti was insistent that the injury was minor, however, and expressed hope Richarlison would be fit for Tuesday’s match with Newcastle.

“We have out for this game Richarlison. He had a little problem yesterday in training. He will not be available for the game, we hope he will be available on Tuesday.

“It’s a problem on his knee, he had a little twist but nothing special, Minor problem, but unfortunately will not be available tomorrow.”

Joining the Brazilian on the sidelines this weekend will be Gylfi Sigurdsson who also picked up a knock this week. Ancelotti was far less bullish on the Icelandic player’s immediate prospects and it appears that Gylfi is set to be out for the short-term.

“We have out Sigurdsson, he has minor groin issues. The other players are all fit and in good condition.”

Alex Iwobi will also miss out on the trip, as his return to training comes too late for the West Ham match. It appears it will be another week or so until the former Arsenal man will be available for selection.

Ancelotti also provided updates on Andre Gomes and Jean-Phillipe Gbamin. As anyone on social media knows, Gomes returned to Finch Farm in the next step of his recovery, and Ancelotti didn’t mince words on how important Gomes return is to the Blues.

“We are recovering Iwobi, I think he can play the next game. For the others, Gbamin started today the first part of training with the team. Andre Gomes is doing his individual training with the physio.

“He (Gomes) feels good and is confident, and the medical staff is confident. It is important to have him here and I hope as soon as possible he can come play for us.”

In perhaps the only two bits of ‘good’ news, Ancelotti did reveal that Yerry Mina had recovered from him slight problem and will be available for selection on Saturday. He also revealed that Jean-Phillipe Gbamin took his first day of training with the first team since his surgery back in November. When asked what the timeline was for Gbamin’s return to the pitch, Ancelotti called for caution.

“He suffered a big injury so we have to take care of him and take time. That he started training today was big for him, and we have to wait a little bit.”