Doucoure could be fit for Everton game against Palace in major boost for Sean Dyche
Doucoure's absence has been hugely felt by Everton with the Blues having not won a Premier League match since his hamstring injury first flared up.
Despite not being available and out of the side for exactly two months (apart from a single game against Aston Villa in which he hurt his other hamstring!) Doucoure remains the Toffees top scorer with six, underlining the problems the team have in front of goal.
It has become a chronic issue over the last few months in particular, with neither of Sean Dyche's two first-choice strikers Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Beto having scored in that two month period.
In fact during the time in which Doucoure has been unavailable, the Toffees as a team have only on one occasion managed to score more than a single goal, and that was in the two-all draw with Spurs recently.
Then once again last weekend Everton huffed and puffed, battling hard but ultimately went down to a 2-0 defeat at Manchester City, failing to find the net again.
Although they hadn't offered much attacking threat once more there were several good chances that went begging, a familiar story for so much of the season so far.
Now it finally looks as though the 31-year-old former Watford star - who has become such a key cog in Dyche's system - could be fit enough to face Crystal Palace on Monday night at Goodison Park.
If so, it would represent a major boost for the manager as he battles to try and reverse what has now become a serious decline in results that means Everton are still to win a league game in 2024.
Actually, the Toffees haven't tasted victory in the Premier League at all since defeating Burnley back on the 16th December, the same day Doucoure first picked up his injury.
That is a very worrying run and Dyche is keenly aware that he needs to find a way to start winning footbal matches again. Hopefully starting with Palace on Monday.
Having his talismanic midfielder back would certainly be a timely boost for the Blues boss and just maybe it will prove to be a decisive factor.