Everton will take on Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday at Goodison Park.
The Toffees picked up their first league win of the season last week when they won 2-1 against Crystal Palace, with Dwight McNeil scoring both goals.
Sean Dyche will be looking to pick up another win and build strong momentum ahead of the October international break.
Everton are set to be out without several key players, and Dyche has confirmed that Seamus Coleman and Nathan Patterson are missing for this game.
Dyche shared that Coleman is likely to return after the international break, while the Toffees are trying to be more cautious with Patterson because he is coming from a “serious injury”.
Patterson has been out injured for a while and hasn’t played a game so far. He is not expected to feature against the Magpies either.
Dyche said: “Patto is more common sense now. He’s out training all of the time but he needs a game programme after being out for around six months. That was a longer-term situation but he’s making good progress and he’s training regularly – and so far, so good.”
“Patto’s was a different kind of injury – it was quite a serious injury, on a tendon, which is unusual. He needed surgery on a tendon which you have to be careful with on the recovery, so therefore he needs more time.”
Everton need to be careful with Nathan Patterson
The 22-year-old right-back has been out for around six months. He has returned to training but needs to play games at the reserve levels to increase his fitness.
Everton are doing the right thing here, and they are not looking to rush him to the first team. It also means Ashley Young is likely to continue at right-back.
Patterson joined the Toffees from Rangers, signed by Rafa Benitez in the January window of 2022.
His career at Goodison Park has been blighted by injuries, and it has been a major cause for concern. While he has age on his side to recover from this nagging habit of picking up injuries, it is high time he takes great care of his fitness.
He is a fantastic defender, no doubt, but Everton are yet to see his best form for the club. Hopefully, he will return stronger and will help Everton climb up the table.
The Toffees could be without star defender Jarrad Branthwaite for the weekend clash against the Magpies.
