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Holgate injured in Everton win

By Matt Townsend

Everton's English defender Mason Holgate (L) is treated by medical staff after being injured during the English Premier League football match between Everton and Aston Villa at Goodison Park in Liverpool, north west England on July 16, 2020. (Photo by Dave Thompson / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by DAVE THOMPSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Everton's English defender Mason Holgate (L) is treated by medical staff after being injured during the English Premier League football match between Everton and Aston Villa at Goodison Park in Liverpool, north west England on July 16, 2020. (Photo by Dave Thompson / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by DAVE THOMPSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Here we go again as during what was a comfortable if largely meaningless 2-0 win over Preston North End this afternoon, Everton suffer yet more injury bad luck as Mason Holgate goes off.

I just find it quite incredible how unlucky Everton are with injuries, it’s like this club is cursed with bad luck. Now with a week to go before the Premier League campaign begins at Tottenham, a key member of the Blues backline is hurt.

As yet no one knows how bad it is although he left the ground on crutches and whether it will keep him out of next Sunday’s match at Tottenham. Lets hope it isn’t, but it is hardly what was needed in the build-up to that opening game.

Holgate is a key member of the Everton defence and if he is absent for any length of time it will be very significant.

This latest set-back comes only a few weeks after he recovered from an injury that had kept him out of the last few games of the 2019-20 season.

His usual partner in that last campaign, Michael Keane, was away in Iceland for England’s Nations League opener although he didn’t play a single minute of the game.

And the Toffees other senior centre-back, Yerry Mina is still himself recovering from the latest in a string of injury problems he has had since joining the Toffees.

So if Holgate is still absent and Mina isn’t fully fit, next week Keane will be lining up with one of the Blues very inexperienced young centre-backs, probably Jarrad Branthwaite.

That’s not the end of the world given how generally composed Branthwaite looked at the end of last season, but it’s not ideal when Everton are going to Spurs, where they have a terrible recent record, and desperately need to start this season well.

The 23-year-old is important not just because he is emerging as a genuinely good quality all-round defender and a natural leader, but also because he possess the pace and composure on the ball that Mina and Keane are not renowned for.

They are both similar being big and powerful defenders, good in the air but not as quick or as accomplished in possession. So together they don’t work as well as when one or the other plays with Holgate.

Holgate’s injury allowed Everton supporters to see another of the club’s youngsters as Kyle John came on to replace him.

He played well enough, especially as he was alongside right-back Jonjo Kenny who moved inside to play centre-half. But it is just typical that with a week to go the Blues are handed another unexpected problem.

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And, if Holgate’s injury proves more serious, then Everton might be forced to revise their transfer plans and look for another centre-back before the window closes.

Although it seemed obvious that Carlo Ancelotti wanted to bring in Gabriel Magalhaes, once that deal was dead in the water, it seemed that the Blues would still have enough cover at centre-back with the emergence of Branthwaite and the continued development of Lewis Gibson alongside Mina, Keane and Holgate.

Now though that might not be the case. There were tentative rumours that one or other of Branthwaite or Gibson might have been going out on loan this season. With Holgate’s injury that probably won’t happen unless Everton do bring another experienced defender in.

Anyway a long-term problem for Holgate would certainly throw a spanner in the works as far as the Blues plans for the rest of the transfer window are concerned.