Anthony Gordon was only introduced in the final moments of Everton's crucial game at Bournemouth because he has broken his hand.
The 21-year-old was part of a triple substitution with the Blues already losing 3-0 at the Vitality Stadium. Frank Lampard confirmed he did not turn to the starlet earlier because of his injury.
He added Gordon had played through the Carabao Cup tie with issue as he spoke after his side's second mauling on the south coast in five days. News of Gordon's broken hand emerged amid mounting injury concerns for the Blues - those the World Cup break now offers six weeks for players to recover.
MATCH RECAP: Look back on how Bournemouth vs Everton unfolded here
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Everton were missing Dominic Calvert-Lewin with knee, shoulder and hamstring injuries while James Garner also missed out on the Premier League tie after suffering a knock. Mason Holgate was also absent after picking up a knee injury in midweek. Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana won late fitness battles and were involved but it has now emerged Everton were dealing with further fitness issues going into this clash.
Asked why Gordon was not introduced until the 75th minute, Lampard explained: "He's broken his hand so at the minute he is playing with a bit of an injury. He played here on Tuesday with a broken hand, he was carrying it a little bit, he came off early, so he's not in prime condition."
Lampard, who lost Vitalii Mykolenko to what looked like a collar bone or shoulder injury suffered in Bournemouth's second goal, said he would have turned to Gordon earlier had he been fully fit.
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