Everton club captain will not make Germany trip via Royal Blue Mersey
The skipper will rest his still ailing hamstring
Unable to feature in a preseason match yet due to a hamstring issue,
Phil Jagielka will also not make the trip to Germany for the matches with Dynamo Dresden and Real Betis or Werder Bremen. The quick turn around between games will require manager
Ronald Koeman to bring a large squad and plenty of young players.
There is little indication when Koeman expects to have Jagielka ready, and with matches against
Manchester United on August 3rd and Espanyol just three days later, it is unclear if he will be involved in either of those games.
The start of the season is obviously the mark for when Koeman wants Jagielka ready to go. That date is not far away now though and any setback could stop that. This raises the question of how many defenders Koeman needs on this squad. Jagielka has become an injury concern over the past season and counting on him to be healthy all season would be a poor decision.
With the
potential exit of
John Stones and even
outside interest in Ramiro Funes Mori, Koeman is under pressure to make a strong defence by adding from both outside the club as well as promoting youth from inside the club. Matthew Pennington, Brendan Galloway and Mason Holgate have all seen time at centerback during this preseason, but none of the three has shown enough to win a starting XI position for the upcoming Premier League season.
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