Everton's injury issues lie in midfield ahead of the Premier League curtain-raiser with Crystal Palace. Tim Iroegbunam, Christian Norgaard and James Garner are the players who are likely to miss out as they continue work to overcome problems picked up during the summer.
Midfield depth provides cover
While David Moyes will be disappointed to be without a fully fit squad, central midfield is an area of depth for the Blues. There is positive news elsewhere, with Jarrad Branthwaite and Hayden Hackney both looking strong after summers spent carefully building back towards fitness.
Garner was slated for a target return around the start of the season when he underwent surgery on a minor groin issue last month. The club said it had been successful but his lack of a pre-season will mean last year's player of the season will need some time to get up to speed.
Knocks for Norgaard and Iroegbunam
Norgaard told supporters at the Men in Blazers event at Hill Dickinson on Monday night that he is also carrying a knock, while Iroegbunam suffered an injury in the first half of the friendly at Stuttgart. All three injuries are problematic for the club despite being relatively minor.
Garner and Norgaard would have a strong case to be in Moyes' first choice XI. Iroegbunam became increasingly trusted last season but his future is uncertain and, for now at least, Hull City have blamed the injury on a deal for the 23-year-old failing to progress.
Options available
Moyes does have cover in the middle though, with Merlin Rohl and Harrison Armstrong having both had solid pre-seasons and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, one of the team's best performers last season, all available. Hackney, the £16.5m arrival from Middlesbrough, is another option after a solid summer in which he has grown in strength as the club has taken time to help him find fitness after an injury at the end of last season.
It is a similar story with his good friend Branthwaite, whose recovery from the latest hamstring injury of his young career has focused on ways to manage his workload and make him more resilient. There could be fewer bigger boosts available to Moyes this summer than a fit Branthwaite and the centre back appears to have come through pre-season in good shape.
