Former Nottingham Forest loanee James Garner has been ruled out for two months with a back injury by Everton manager Frank Lampard.
Since arriving on Merseyside from Manchester United last transfer deadline day, instead of returning to the East Midlands with the Reds, the midfielder has made seven appearances. Garner, 21, did, though, miss the final match before the Premier League paused, which was just four days after starting for the first time in the Carabao Cup third round, only to be substituted off seven minutes into the second half.
Everton are back together while top-flight action is on hold for the World Cup and travelled to Australia ahead of participating in the Sydney Super Cup, where they faced Celtic and Western Sydney Wanderers earlier this week in friendlies. Garner, though, did not travel Down Under with the squad.
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Lampard has now confirmed that the England under-21 international is set for an extended absence telling evertontv that "it's a disappointing injury," which won't see the player return until "the back end of January or early February". That timeline suggests the player should be available again ahead of a potential return to the City Ground in early March after potentially missing as many as half a dozen matches.
What have you made of Garner's start to the season at Everton? Have your say in the comments...
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