Abdoulaye Doucouré is back in training after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained last month.
The player’s influence on Everton’s results this season cannot be overstated: Everton rarely win if Doucouré isn’t playing, and he is the top scorer so far this season. The 31-year-old has been out since playing the full game against Aston Villa on 14 January, the only game he has played out of Everton’s last 11 matches.
Sean Dyche is known to take a very cautious approach with players returning from injury, so it would be normal for him to be named initially on the subs bench for the massive encounter with Crystal Palace on Monday night.
Everton’s other key injured first-team players, Arnout Danjuma and André Gomes, are still expected to be out for a further prolonged period, along with Dele Alli, who seems further than ever from being fit enough to play after undergoing groin surgery.