David Moyes' press conference for Everton's opening match at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday against Brighton & Hove Albion began with some news that was both unfortunate but likely expected.
The Everton manager noted that the trio of Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitalii Mykolenko, and Nathan Patterson would not be fit for Brighton, but that teenager Adam Aznou had returned to training today, and that the club would "see how he does." Moyes categorized both Branthwaite and Mykolenko as "on the way."
The space between the trip to Elland Road and the first-ever competitive match at Hill Dickinson Stadium has hopefully allowed Moyes time to figure out an alternative plan to the one he threw out against Leeds.
While James Garner worked hard, he clearly wasn't prepared to play that far out of position, as he's not usually a fullback in any regard, let alone one that forces him to use his weaker foot consistently. That begs the question of whether or not Moyes was planning on tossing Aznou into the flames of the Premier League before the injury popped up.
If Branthwaite and Mykolenko are still a few weeks away, the hope would be that the upcoming international break could mean they'll only miss three more fixtures: home to Brighton, the League Cup match home to Mansfield Town on Wednesday, and away to Wolves the following Saturday. The next match won't be until September 13 after that triumvirate of games.
In the meantime, the plan has to be better, and possibly include the uber left-footed Dwight McNeil, allowing fewer players to be out of position for at least the two Premier League matches. What Moyes' plan for the Cup match will be in light of the injuries remains to be seen.
But if knowing is half the battle, then the information here should hopefully help make the team selection for Sunday a little more competitive.