Everton injury update: expert’s worrying Lucas Digne verdict but good news about trio ahead of West Ham clash

Lucas Digne has to be considered a "major doubt" for Everton's clash against West Ham United on Sunday.

The left-back was forced to miss France's Nations League triumph after returning to Goodison Park early with a hamstring issue that occurred during the international break.

What’s been said

Digne suffered a similar injury for Les Bleus at Euro 2020 in the summer.

According to injury expert Ben Dinnery, speaking on Youtube channel Premier FPL Injuries, Digne looks highly likely to miss the visit of David Moyes' Hammers (14.00 BST).

And if the 28-year-old's setback is a recurrence of the problem he suffered at the Euros, it could rule him out for the best part of a month.

Dinnery said: “A decision was made fairly early on by [France manager] Didier Deschamp to send him back to the club. That's probably a good indication he knew almost straight away that Digne could play no part in the internationals and it was better for him to go back to the club.

“Of course, we'll wait for an official update from Everton, but what we do know is Lucas Digne suffered a hamstring injury during the European Championships.

“That disrupted his pre-season a bit. That kept him on the sidelines for around a month and it's a worry if it's a recurrence of that injury.

“Typically, what we know from the data is a return to play from a hamstring injury is 17-19 days. They do have high recurrence rates, as high as maybe 25%.

“If a player suffers a recurrence or there's a further problem then, inherently, it will keep a player out for even longer. Typically, the return to play is an extra 7-10 days on that.

“[Everton boss] Rafa Benitez and his medical team will want to manage Lucas Digne to make sure that problem isn't exacerbated further.

“But ahead of game week, based on the data and his history, he's got to be considered a major doubt.”

Trio’s expected return

However, there is some positive news for Evertonians.

Dinnery expects Seamus Coleman (hamstring), Richarlison (knee) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (calf) to all be available against West Ham.

The trio have missed Rafa Benitez’s side’s past four games in all competitions.

"At the moment, what I would say is we are cautiously optimistic," added Dinnery.

“Ahead of gameweek seven, we saw Richarlison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Seamus Coleman all training individually down at Finch Farm.

“There was never any serious hope of them being involved before the break.

“But given the fact they've had this extended period to training, get the training load back in the legs and get that bit of sharpness, I would say all three players - barring any kind of setback - should be in a really strong position of returning to Rafa Benitez's squad this weekend.”

Who could replace Digne?

Ben Godfrey has been deputising at right-back in Coleman's absence.

If Digne is unavailable but Coleman is given the green light then Godfrey's likely to switch to the opposite side of defence.