Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

News

HomeNewsEnglish Premier LeagueEverton

Report: Ben Godfrey set for Everton debut as first-teamer has ‘unknown’ return date

Alex Caple

Thu 22 October 2020 7:45, UK

Ben Godfrey is set for his full Everton debut this weekend, according to reports. That’s because Seamus Coleman has an ‘unknown’ return date.

. They claim that Ben Godfrey is ‘braced’ for his full debut this weekend, having come on as a substitute against Liverpool on Saturday.

And the reason he came on against the Champions is the same reason he’s set to face Southampton – Seamus Coleman’s injury. The Everton captain went down in the first half, leading to Godfrey’s introduction at right-back.

It appears he’ll make his full debut out of position, too, as Everton say Coleman’s return date is ‘unknown’. His hamstring injury may prove to keep him out for a while, then.

But Godfrey will step up, much as he did in the Merseyside derby, it seems.

TBR View:

This certainly wasn’t how Everton planned things. Godfrey was signed as a centre-half but he may end up playing right-back for a little while.

But who knows? Perhaps learning another position like this proves beneficial in the long-run and helps Godfrey develop as a player. That will be the hope, anyway, as long as Everton can still perform with him there.

Tactically, it should be okay. James Rodriguez typically plays in front of the right-back but he’s not a defensive player. He’s always looking forward and Everton will want that. The further back he is, the less damage he can cause, after all.

So having a solidly defensive-minded right-back could work well, there, given he’ll likely have to take on quite a bit of defensive work down that flank.

We’d expect Everton to get through this unscathed, then.