Andros Townsend may not be available for his Everton return until February after suffering a setback in his recovery.
The 31-year-old has been out since March after he suffered an horrific injury during the FA Cup defeat at Crystal Palace. Townsend had been targeting a return soon after the World Cup but that is no longer set to be the case.
Frank Lampard, who has praised Townsend for his professionalism during his fight with injury, now believes he may not have the opportunity to call on the winger in January.
Townsend suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury 16 minutes into the FA Cup sixth-round tie with his former club Palace last spring. It was a bitter blow to the player and for Lampard, whose efforts to save Everton’s top -flight status were plagued by injuries to important players. Townsend had surgery the following week before beginning the long road toward rehabilitation with specialists at Finch Farm.
While he was unable to be part of efforts to fight relegation on the pitch, Townsend was still involved in supporting his team-mates during the battle. His value to the squad was further highlighted when he travelled with the first team to the US in the summer despite not being close to a return. Townsend could be seen carrying out intense recovery work at the club’s training base as he pushed towards fitness.
As recently as early September he hinted at a possible 2022 return, detailing a timeframe of "anywhere between October and just after the World Cup”. But at his pre-Wolverhampton Wanderers press conference on Friday, Lampard said the player had suffered a “setback” when asked about his injury status.
The Blues boss later added of Townsend, who was part of ITV’s World Cup commentary team : “I feel bad for him, his professionalism in trying to get fit has been a big deal in a positive sense and we will keep working with him. We were looking at January, it will be a hard call for him to be fit in January at this point.”
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