Ben Godfrey injury: Defender facing months out after suffering leg break against Chelsea

The centre-back was hurt making a challenge after the ball had gone out of play but the match was allowed to continue

Richard Jolly
Saturday 06 August 2022 20:56 BST
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(REUTERS)

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Ben Godfrey is set to be out for several months after breaking his leg after 10 minutes of the season in Everton’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.

Everton also lost fellow centre-back Yerry Mina to an ankle injury on a damaging opening day at Goodison Park when Godfrey was stretchered off and taken to hospital after being hurt in a challenge with Kai Havertz.

“It is a small fracture of his fibula bone. It will be months more than weeks, for sure, but I don’t know how long,” said manager Frank Lampard. “We are thinking two or three months but that is a really quick assessment, With Yerry, I have got no idea. We are assessing that.”

Everton are interested in Wolves captain Conor Coady though Lampard is waiting to see if defensive injuries will force him back into the transfer market.

But he is close to strengthening his squad as Lille midfielder Amadou Onana, who has had a medical at Goodison Park, was in the directors’ box as he looks set to complete a £33 million move.

“We are nearly there,” Lampard said. “He is fantastically talented young player, great attributes. We have followed him for a long time and I think he is going be a really good player.”

Lampard felt Everton merited a point, though they lost to his former club because of a penalty that Abdoulaye Doucoure conceded and Jorginho converted.

“I don’t think we deserved to lose,” Lampard said. “In terms of both boxes and chances created I thought a draw would have been a fair result. I thought the performance was good. On another day you don’t lose the game.”

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