Sean Dyche has a huge Abdoulaye Doucoure-shaped hole to fill in Everton’s side as they face Manchester United. But how does he fill the void?
Following his sending off for raising his hands to Harry Kane in Monday night’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park, Doucoure starts a three-match ban which will also force him to sit out the home game against Fulham on April 15 and trip to Crystal Palace on April 22. Given that the 30-year-old has played a pivotal role since Dyche was appointed, the big question is who exactly might replace him.
Under previous manager Frank Lampard, Doucoure hadn’t started a Premier League match since going off 35 minutes into the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in August in Everton’s first away fixture of the season, and dropped out of the squad completely by the end after a reported dressing room row. However, a change in the dugout provided a fresh start for a player whose contract the club have an option on for next season.
