MX23RW : Wednesday, May 15 10:05:02| >> :120:37959:37959:

Carlo Ancelotti delighted to welcome back "really important" Abdoulaye Doucoure

Carlo Ancelotti delighted to welcome back
© Reuters
The Frenchman has missed eight matches with a fractured bone in his foot and the Toffees have won just once during that spell.

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti will welcome back "surprise" package Abdoulaye Doucoure for the trip to West Ham.

The Frenchman has missed eight matches with a fractured bone in his foot and the Toffees have won just once during that spell.

Everton's win rate with Doucoure in the side is 56 per cent so Ancelotti is delighted to have a player who arrived from Watford for £20million in September and quickly cemented his place in the starting line-up.

"He is really important. He showed fantastic quality and has supported the team a lot when he played," said Ancelotti.

"It was a great surprise for us to have this type of player. He put a lot of energy into the midfield and to have him back for the next game will be really important.

"Without him, we have had more problems. He is one of the most important players we had and he has been a really good signing.

"I hope he can show his quality in the last games we have before the end."

There is less positive news on James Rodriguez who, after pulling out of the warm-up ahead of last weekend's defeat to Aston Villa, will not be fit for Sunday's trip to London.

The Colombia international has been troubled by a calf issue for much of the season but when asked to elaborate on the specifics of the latest problem, the Toffees boss said: "I'm not talking to you about this.

"He is not available. There is the privacy of the medical situation so I don't want to talk to you (about it).

"He didn't train with the team this week. He trained alone following proper rehab. The plan is to start to train again at the beginning of next week."

ID:446436: cacheID:446436:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2741:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Yves Bissouma in action for Brighton on December 16, 2020
Read Next:
Man City 'considering £30m Yves Bissouma bid'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City37277393336088
2Arsenal37275589286186
3Liverpool372310484414379
4Aston Villa37208976562068
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs371961271611063
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle361761379572257
7Chelsea361691173611257
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd36166145256-454
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham371410135971-1252
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton361212125458-448
11Bournemouth37139155365-1248
12Crystal Palace371210155258-646
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves37137175063-1346
14Fulham37128175159-844
15Everton37139153949-1040
16Brentford37109185461-739
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3789204766-1929
18Luton TownLuton3768235081-3126
RBurnley3759234076-3624
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd37372735101-6616


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!