Iliman Ndiaye isn't the only player that Everton will be missing once the Africa Cup of Nations begins in late December. Ndiaye's Senegal squad will also feature midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye as it seeks to lift the trophy in Morocco.
This is a big miss for the Toffees, because the club is already quite thin in the midfield, and if the move of James Garner to right back is going to be the norm until they find a fulltime solution, the numbers are even more concerning.
Still, Everton manager David Moyes will be forced to figure out how to cover all those matches while the duo is out on international duty.
Like with Ndiaye, let's take a look at three possible solutions, ranked backwards in terms of preference, for the Gana-sized hole that will exist in Everton's midfield for the better part of a month.
Option 3: James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam, with Jake O'Brien back to right back
To be honest, although I've got this ranked as my least preferred option, it feels like the direction Moyes may choose to go, mostly because it disrupts the rest of the team as little as possible.
While Jake O'Brien lost his place at right back to Garner in Everton's 2-0 win over Fulham before the break, it doesn't necessarily mean that Garner is the answer there until January allows Everton to bring in a better fit.
Some of this choice may come down to the matchup and whether or not Moyes wants someone more attacking at right back or if defensive acumen is the key. But on the whole, this solution isn't the ideal week-to-week thinking we'd prefer to see from Moyes.
The issue, and this will be the case for all of these solutions, is that nobody else is as proficient in the tackle is Gana is, which will create problems no matter who is there.
Option 2: Garner and Iroegbunam, with Seamus Coleman at right back
The Everton captain looked rejuvenated in recent games for his country, helping the Republic of Ireland into the World Cup play-off in hopes of returning to the competition for the first time since 2002.
At this point in his career, asking Seamus Coleman to be the regular starting right back for Everton is supremely unreasonable. A long term replacement has been needed for several years now, and the club have failed to fine one.
But given the state of the squad, it seems fair to expect that Coleman will have a part to play with Gana out of the lineup, only because he frees up Moyes to use what is probably his best midfield duo in Garner and Iroegbunam.
Like the other option, the pair lacks the defensive acumen of Gana, but that has to be an assumed loss at this point.
Option 1: Merlin Röhl and Iroegbunam, Garner at right back
This option is at the top only because it feels like it maxmizes the squad that Moyes will have on hand without Gana and Ndiaye.
It's also an idea that will only work if Everton think they'll have at least some of the ball, since Merlin Röhl and Iroegbunam are even less defensively sound than Garner and Iroegbunam.
But, man, if these two are allowed to carry the ball a bit, that could be a lot of fun.
Ultimately, missing Gana is a much more difficult slot to fill than Ndiaye. Not necessarily because Gana is a better player, but because there isn't anyone in the squad who can even begin to replicate what he does.