Sean Dyche has confirmed that Everton will be without Dominic Calvert-Lewin for their crucial clash against relegation rivals Leeds United on Saturday.
Leeds travel to Goodison Park boasting a slender one-point advantage over 18th place Toffees. Calvert-Lewin starred in Dyche's opening game in charge of Everton as they stunned Arsenal with a 1-0 victory.
However, Ellis Simms replaced Calvert-Lewin due to thigh injury in Everton's 2-0 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield on Monday. And Dyche has now revealed that he will have to do without his main marksman when the Whites travel to Merseyside on the weekend.
"No the root of the problem is pretty easy for the medical side of things. Now it's just time to make sure that his body is well," Dyche said in his pre-match press conference.
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"We've got other good players here and I think it's more important to focus on them at this stage. Facts are facts, Dominic is not available. So until he is my focus will be on the players that are available and the team unit, which is always more important."
Elsewhere, James Garner and Nathan Patterson have returned to training but are not expected to be ready to feature on Saturday.
Both will star for the under-21s when they face Tottenham Hotspur on Friday evening. Garner has played just six times in the Premier League since joining from Manchester United back in the summer and has been out with a back injury since November.
Patterson suffered a knee injury in Everton's 4-1 defeat against Brighton at the start of January and has missed the last four games.
"James Garner and Nathan Patterson will play for the U21s tomorrow which I'll watch. They're not ready for us yet but they've been back with us on the grass."
Andros Townsend is the only other absentee for the Toffees, with the Everton winger still yet to play a single minute this season due to a knee injury.
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