August 24, (THEWILL) – Alex Iwobi’s run of consecutive English Premier League starts has come to an end after the Everton midfielder suffered a hamstring injury during last weekend’s loss to Aston Villa.
Iwobi was forced off just four minutes into the second half at Villa Park, after going down clutching his leg. Everton manager, Sean Dyche, confirmed Iwobi now faces “a few weeks” on the sidelines as he recovers from the hamstring problem. That timescale means Iwobi is set to miss Everton’s upcoming games, starting with the clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Dyche confirmed Iwobi is facing a spell on the sidelines. “Al unfortunately hurt his hamstring, I think that was obvious to all,” Dyche told reporters. “It’s not going to be days, probably a few weeks, we’ll wait and see as it heals.”
The injury comes as a blow for both Iwobi and Everton. Iwobi had started the last 52 consecutive EPL matches prior to picking up this hamstring issue. Everton will now be without one of their key midfielders as they look to climb out of the relegation zone.
There is also bad news for Nigeria ahead of their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against São Tomé and PrÃncipe on September 10. Iwobi is unlikely to recover in time to join up with the Super Eagles squad for that match. With the AFCON getting underway in January, the Super Eagles were hoping to use the game to begin preparations.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
