Sean Dyche has hinted that Armando Broja could feature in Everton’s upcoming match against Manchester United, despite the Chelsea loanee still working his way back from an Achilles injury. Broja, who joined the club in late August, has yet to make his season debut. However, the 23-year-old Albania international has recently made progress, playing 45 minutes for the under-21s on Monday and starting against Nottingham Forest U21s on Friday.
Ahead of the weekend’s Premier League clash, Dyche spoke about Broja’s ongoing recovery, noting that the striker would be assessed after his second under-21s outing. “We’re making progress,” Dyche said on Friday. “AB (Broja) will get more minutes today, and so will Youssef Chermiti, who’s also working his way back to fitness. AB is ahead at the moment, but he’s looking sharp. We’ll see how he performs in the second game and then make a decision about his involvement against United.”
Everton’s attacking struggles have been well-documented this season. The team has scored just 10 goals in 12 matches, with only bottom-placed Southampton scoring fewer. The Toffees have failed to score in their last three matches and have only managed three goals in their past six. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the club’s main striker, has not found the net since mid-September, while Dwight McNeil, the team’s top scorer, hasn’t added to his tally since late September. Backup forward Beto has made only eight substitute appearances and scored just once, a late equalizer against Fulham.
Dyche, fully aware of the financial constraints limiting the club’s transfer options in January, is focusing on improving the current squad. “You can’t turn things around overnight unless you have significant financial backing, and even then, it doesn’t guarantee success,” Dyche remarked. “While many clubs buy strikers, we’re trying to develop the ones we have into better players. It’s a matter of consistent work and not overthinking things, but coaching strikers to finish in those critical moments is always a challenge.”
