Christian Eriksen will return to Manchester United's matchday squad for Saturday's clash with Everton after over two months out.

The Denmark international suffered an ankle injury in an FA Cup win over Reading on January 28 after being on the receiving end of a crude challenge by Andy Carroll.

Manager Erik ten Hag was not shy in voicing his displeasure with Carroll's tackle over the following days, with it then emerging Eriksen was facing up to three months out.

That was a major disappointment for United given how quickly the Dane had established himself as a key player at Old Trafford.

But Eriksen's rehabilitation has gone well and he is in contention to play a part against visitors Everton on Saturday, meaning he will have missed a little over two months rather than being ruled out until May, as was feared.

The good news of Eriksen's return was tempered by the blow of losing Luke Shaw after he was substituted early against Brentford on Wednesday, but the midfielder was the chief focus in Ten Hag's pre-match press conference.

Asked for a squad fitness update, Ten Hag said: "Luke Shaw is not available for [Everton], and we have to see how it progresses in the coming week.

"The good news is Christian Eriksen is back in training and he will be back tomorrow in the squad."

Although United have since won the EFL Cup, progressed to the quarter-finals of the Europa League and remain firmly in the hunt for a top-four spot, their form over the past two months has been patchy.

United's win rate with Eriksen this season is 63.2 per cent, compared to 44.4 per cent without him.

Other factors have come into play with respect to United's recent inconsistency, with Casemiro also missing a significant amount of football due to multiple suspensions.

But the importance of Eriksen's timely return at a decisive moment in the season was not lost on Ten Hag.

"I think it was not for nothing," he said. "I was so angry about that tackle and he was away – at first we feared we had lost him for the whole season, but he worked very well.

"I think the medical department did really well and in togetherness he is already returning to the squad and so is available for the final stages of the season. We are very pleased with that.

"From the first [point] it was a really bad tackle and it was also a really bad injury, but he is a little bit ahead of the schedule so we are very happy with [that]."

Tottenham's acting head coach Cristian Stellini has accused former players of having no respect for the club after Harry Kane received criticism for his part in Abdoulaye Doucoure's red card in the 1-1 draw at Everton.

The England captain was targeted by some for his reaction to Doucoure putting his hand into Kane's face during the Premier League clash at Goodison Park on Monday.

Kane fell to the floor holding his face as Doucoure was given his marching orders.

At a press conference on Thursday, Stellini said: "I think it's strange that some ex-players said something wrong about Harry. They are ex-players and they know the difference between seeing something in slow motion and living it in real motion.

"Also the Everton manager [Sean Dyche] said it was a clear red card. Perhaps they respect Harry but they don't respect Tottenham."

Spurs host rivals for the top four spots Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, and Stellini confirmed he is not expecting any of his injured players to return, though did indicate that Richarlison could be back to face Bournemouth the following weekend.

"No good news about players that come back for the next game," he said. "We are getting closer with Richarlison. He trained on the pitch but he trained alone. We are going well with Ben Davies with the plan but we have to wait a bit for him.

"[Richarlison] trained on the pitch. He is going well and for the next game he could be available."

Christian Eriksen could make his first Manchester United appearance since January when the Red Devils host Everton on Saturday, Erik ten Hag has revealed.

Eriksen has not played since an FA Cup win over Reading in late January, having sustained an ankle injury during that game.

United initially handled the midfielder's absence well as they lifted the EFL Cup in February, though Ten Hag's men endured a three-game winless run in the Premier League prior to Wednesday's 1-0 victory over Brentford.

Asked whether Eriksen could return to the matchday squad against Everton after that win, Ten Hag told Viaplay in Denmark: "We will see. We see it from day to day.

"He is progressing. He is only back in team training this week. We have two sessions. After that, we will decide if he is back in the squad again."

United have won 63.2 per cent of the Premier League games in which Eriksen has appeared this season (12 of 19), compared to 44.4 per cent of those he has missed (four of nine).

The Red Devils have relied on a midfield pairing of Eriksen and Casemiro for much of this campaign, and the Brazilian will serve the final game of his four-match domestic ban against the Toffees.

While Ten Hag is excited by the duo's return, he believes United's other midfielders have stepped up in their absence, adding: "They're two very important players for us, don't get me wrong, but we have a good squad. 

"[Against Brentford] there was brilliant midfield occupation with Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes. Marcel Sabitzer, in his role, was very good. 

"I can't say this midfield trio was bad, not at all. It was very good."

Cristian Stellini rued Tottenham's lack of control as they began life without Antonio Conte by drawing 1-1 away to struggling Everton on Monday.

Harry Kane's 68th-minute penalty looked to have been enough for Spurs to make a winning start under Stellini.

But Michael Keane's superb late strike from distance seized a crucial point for the Toffees at Goodison Park, frustrating their visitors.

Stellini was especially irritated by the result, particularly given Spurs' man advantage for most of the second half after Abdoulaye Doucoure's red card.

"My feeling now is that we have lost two points," he told Sky Sports. "We had an [extra] man against them, we needed to control the game.

"We tried to do [that] but not in the way I expect. With 11 players, we have to do much better. You control the game with the ball, not without."

Spurs were also reduced to 10 men in the final stages when Lucas Moura was dismissed for a late lunge on Keane before his equaliser.

Stellini, who was stood near Doucoure when he pushed Kane in the face to earn his red, believed both calls were fair from referee David Coote.

"I think Harry conceded a lot of tackles today before the red card," he said. "Lucas, his tackle was too dangerous. Both of the red cards are clear for me."

Despite missing out on a win, the draw moved Tottenham back into the top four, level on 50 points with Newcastle United and Manchester United.

Their rivals have two games in hand each, but Stellini believes Spurs can draw on their experience from last season's battle for Champions League qualification.

"It will be a tough race," he conceded. "But one year ago, we had 51 points. We were fifth, and today, we are fourth.

"We are in the same position [as] last season. We have to be ready to fight. Now we think about the next game."

Michael Keane's sensational stoppage-time strike salvaged a 1-1 draw for Everton as Cristian Stellini was denied three points in his first match since stepping into Antonio Conte's void.

The defender scored a 25-yard screamer to snatch a point for the Toffees at Goodison Park against a Spurs side who had otherwise looked set for a win that would have lifted them up to third.

Harry Kane had earlier scored from the penalty spot to give Spurs the lead shortly after he had been involved in an altercation that saw Abdoulaye Doucoure sent off.

Lucas Moura's was given his marching orders as well, and then Keane intervened to spark raucous scenes for Sean Dyche's men.

 

Sunday saw two more Premier League bosses dismissed from their roles.

Graham Potter's sacking by Chelsea followed on from Leicester City cutting ties with Brendan Rodgers.

That pair of dismissals took the total count of managerial departures for the season to 13 in England's top tier. Twelve of those have been sackings.

According to Opta, it is the most managerial sackings in a Premier League season by three.

The previous high mark of 10 (set in the 2013-14 season and equalled in 2017-18) was matched last season.

Yet this campaign has been even more extreme. Here, Stats Perform assesses the 13 managers to have departed.

 

Scott Parker - Bournemouth (August 30)

Just four league games had passed when Bournemouth became the first club to blink, sacking Parker on the back of a humiliating 9-0 defeat to Liverpool. Parker went on to join Club Brugge in Belgium, but lasted less than three months, winning just two of 12 matches. His replacement at Bournemouth, Gary O'Neil, has the Cherries in 16th, far from down and out.

Thomas Tuchel - Chelsea (September 7)

Arguably the biggest shock sacking of the season came early on, when Tuchel was shown the door by Chelsea's new owners. Not long over a year on from leading the Blues to Champions League success, Tuchel was out of work. He is now back in a job, having succeeded Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich in March.

Graham Potter - Brighton and Hove Albion to Chelsea (September 8)

Potter will feature again in this list, of course, but he does count as two of the 13 departures on Opta's list, given he left Brighton to fill the Chelsea vacancy. The Seagulls had enjoyed a brilliant start to the season and Potter had earned his shot at a big club. It would not, of course, go according to plan.

Bruno Lage - Wolves (October 2)

A full month had not passed by the time a third coach was given the boot. Lage had a decent first season at Wolves, but their form had tailed off towards the back end of the 2021-22 campaign, going winless in seven games. That poor form carried into this term, and having won just one of their first eight league games, Wolves decided to make a change.

Steven Gerrard - Aston Villa (October 20)

Gerrard made a bright start at Villa in 2021, and had been given a large transfer budget across two windows, but the former Rangers boss was struggling to make matters click, either with his team or the fanbase. Villa made the call to end the project before the World Cup, and moved efficiently to bring in Unai Emery, who has got them well clear of any danger. Since his first game in charge, only Arsenal (13) and Manchester City (10) have more Premier League wins than Villa.

Ralph Hasenhuttl - Southampton (November 7)

Hasenhuttl had provided Southampton with fresh life when he was appointed in 2018, but since reaching a pinnacle of topping the table in November of the 2020-21 season, it had been a constant struggle. Saints managed to scrape 40 points last season but were firmly in the relegation scrap when they decided time was up for the Austrian. His replacement, however, did not fare well.

Frank Lampard - Everton (January 23)

That glut of changes prior to the World Cup break was followed by the halting of Lampard's Everton tenure in late January. Results had been terrible, with Lampard managing just three wins all season - a tally already matched by his successor Sean Dyche. However, the nature of dismissing a manager so late in the transfer window left Everton with little time to reinforce their squad, and they are still firmly in the mire. Losses to Wolves, Brighton, Southampton and West Ham marked the end of Lampard's time at Goodison Park.

 

Jess Marsch - Leeds United (February 6)

After one relegation candidate blinked, so did another. Marsch was ditched by Leeds following a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, with the Whites - like Everton - once again faced with a scrap for their lives. Marsch, like Lampard on Merseyside, had managed to garner enough spirit and resolve to keep Leeds in the division last season, but the American was not an entirely popular figure among Leeds' fanbase, and whatever system he was trying to implement was clearly not working.

Nathan Jones - Southampton (February 12)

To put it frankly, Jones' time at St Mary's Stadium was downright bizarre. Brought in from Luton Town, Jones clearly had no lack of self-belief, but he lost his first four league games at the helm. Southampton appeared to be clicking into gear under Jones when they beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup, Manchester City in the EFL Cup and then Everton in the league, yet the Weslhman – who was not shy at reeling off his strengths despite the lack of results – received his marching orders following the EFL Cup semi-final loss to Newcastle United and a 3-0 top-flight defeat to Brentford, with Saints bottom of the pile, where they remain.

Patrick Vieira - Crystal Palace (March 17)

A run of 13 games in all competitions without a win led to Vieira getting the boot midway through March. Palace lost 4-1 to league leaders Arsenal under the interim charge of Paddy McCarthy, and turned to former, supposedly retired, boss Roy Hodgson to try and push them away from danger. Hodgson made a good start, with the Eagles coming from behind to beat Leicester 2-1 on Saturday.

Antonio Conte - Tottenham (March 26)

An unhappy marriage came to an end when Conte left Spurs by mutual consent, just over a week on from lambasting his "selfish" squad, along with the entire club's mentality, following a 3-3 draw at Southampton. Conte had never seemed content at Tottenham, and now Cristian Stellini will oversee the rest of the season. The international break was a turbulent one for Spurs, with director of football Fabio Paratici now on a leave of absence after his ban from Italian football was made a worldwide one by FIFA last week.

Brendan Rodgers - Leicester City (April 2)

Leicester played the April fools on Saturday in their defeat at Selhurst Park, a result that left them in the relegation zone. Rodgers had earned the Foxes' backing with his achievements since taking over in 2019, having won the FA Cup and led Leicester into Europe twice. However, Leicester had won just two league games since the season restarted, and a change felt overdue.

Graham Potter - Chelsea (April 2)

Not long after the dust had settled on Rodgers' departure, Chelsea confirmed the news that Potter was no more. Well, not literally, but the man who had managed so much magic with Brighton could not replicate those tricks at Stamford Bridge. A three-game winning streak in March seemed to suggest a turnaround was in the offing, but a home draw with Everton and Saturday's 2-0 loss to Villa marked the end for Potter, who will perhaps regret leaving Brighton. He leaves Chelsea with the joint-lowest points-per-game total of any of the Blues' Premier League coaches (1.27).

Chelsea sacked Graham Potter on Sunday after barely seven months as their manager.

Potter, who took over from Thomas Tuchel in September, led the Blues to 12 wins, eight draws and 11 defeats.

His demise comes amid numerous changes of managers at Premier League clubs, with Tottenham last week parting with Antonio Conte.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA APPROACH TOP CANDIDATE NAGELSMANN

Chelsea have identified ex-Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann as their top candidate and approached him already, claims Fabrizio Romano.

Romano said talks will be ongoing before a final decision, while he added the Blues hierarchy are admirers of Sporting boss Ruben Amorim.

However, Sky Sports Germany claims Nagelsmann is not interested in taking over at Chelsea.

TalkSPORT claims the dismissed Potter could be offered an immediate return to management by Leicester City who sacked Brendan Rodgers earlier on Sunday.

 

ROUND-UP

– AS claims that Paris Saint-Germain winger Kylian Mbappe has told the Real Madrid board that he intends to join Los Blancos as a free agent in 2024. According to the report, Madrid are not willing to negotiate a transfer fee with PSG, following their long-running interest in Mbappe, with the player needing to get out of his contract to move to the Spanish capital.

Liverpool will consider an off-season move for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, reports The Independent.

– Fichajes claims Liverpool are also weighing up a surprise move for Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.

– Football Insider claims Arsenal have identified three midfield targets in Everton's Amadou Onana, West Ham's Declan Rice and Brighton and Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo.

Manchester United's hopes of signing Eintracht Frankfurt forward Randal Kolo Muani have been set back with the Frenchman keen to join Bayern Munich in the off-season.

Cristian Stellini insists Tottenham are "not in crisis" despite Antonio Conte's acrimonious exit from the club.

Conte left Spurs by mutual consent last Sunday, a week on from a remarkable outburst after a 3-3 draw with bottom side Southampton in which his side squandered a two-goal lead late on.

The former Chelsea boss labelled his players "selfish" and questioned the club's lack of silverware during Daniel Levy's time as chairman in a tirade that ultimately cost him his job, with assistant Stellini taking charge until the end of the season.

Conte becomes the third Spurs manager to be relieved of their duties since Mauricio Pochettino, who led Spurs to the Champions League final, was sacked in 2019, while the club's wait for a first trophy since 2008 has extended to 15 years.

Managing director Fabio Paratici has also stepped back from his role while the club awaits the outcome of his appeal against a worldwide ban from football following FIFA's decision to extend his initial 30-month ban from just Italian football to a worldwide basis for financial breaches while at Juventus.

Yet Stellini, who is now tasked with overseeing the final 10 games of the season as Spurs bid to achieve Champions League qualification, does not agree the club is in turmoil, despite the Tottenham Supporters' Trust describing it as "one mess after another."

"When you take decisions for the best you are not in crisis," Stellini told reporters.

"If you have some matters, we have to stay compact and we have to stick together to move on and play the matches."

It was an easy decision for Stellini to assume Conte's position until the end of the campaign, with the 48-year-old saying: "I spoke with Antonio. The club and Antonio spoke to each other. They take the decision together and they let me know, I was aware of it.

"They call me and say the decision is taken and if you agree with us, you can do it. I had no problem to say yes."

Christian Stellini and Antonio Conte's relationship has not changed following the latter's dismissal at Tottenham.

Conte and Spurs mutually agreed to part ways during the international break following a concerning dip in results, putting Spurs' top-four position in jeopardy, and a remarkable outburst against the club from Conte after the 3-3 draw with Southampton.

Stellini will now take charge in north London for the remainder of the season, with his first game being Monday's clash against Premier League strugglers Everton.

Spurs have 10 games to secure their position in the Champions League next season, while Stellini's temporary appointment has not eased concerns regarding the club's long-term position.

One thing that is clear for Stellini, however, is that he still has a strong friendship with Conte and he moved to thank the former Chelsea and Inter boss.

"I want to clarify that the decision was taken for the best of the club and for everyone," he told a press conference, "Antonio is good. Everyone took the decision altogether for the best of the club.

"My relationship with Antonio is still the same, we're very close and nothing changed between us. I have to say thank you because I have improved a lot in my career under him and it's because of him.

"I did the best for him before, and I'll do the best for him until the end of the season."

Asked whether he felt this was his next step into a managerial career, Stellini added: "It's the next step to work hard for the next 10 games.

"Nothing has to change in my mind. I'm not here for vanity. I'm here to help this club. I have to be myself. I used myself, my character. We will see what happens during the process.

"We've had not many days together. We had a good day in training and we followed in training what we did in the past."

Spurs head into the weekend fourth in the Premier League standings, two points above Newcastle United and seven above Liverpool, both of whom have two games in hand.

Premier League leaders Arsenal went into the international break with an eight-point advantage, and the Gunners will be hoping for a favour from Liverpool on Saturday.

Before Arsenal host strugglers Leeds United, Liverpool travel to the Etihad Stadium to face second-placed Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola's side have a game in hand on Arsenal, but surely they must beat the Reds to give themselves a realistic chance of retaining the title.

Elsewhere, there are more huge fixtures at the bottom of the table, including West Ham v Southampton, while Newcastle United and Manchester United play in a repeat of February's EFL Cup final.

 

Manchester City v Liverpool

Liverpool, who won the reverse league fixture 1-0, are looking to complete the league double over City for what would be just a second time in the last 17 seasons, previously doing so in Jurgen Klopp's debut campaign in 2015-16.

Mohamed Salah has scored in all three of Liverpool's games against Man City this season, in the Premier League, Community Shield and EFL Cup. The last Liverpool player to score in four different games against an opponent in a single campaign was Ian Rush, netting in five meetings with Everton in 1986-87.

Erling Haaland has scored 42 goals in all competitions for City this season, including six hat-tricks (all at the Etihad). Only two players have scored more in a single campaign for a Premier League club (since 1992-93) – Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2002-03 and Salah in 2017-18 (both 44).

Best bet – City to avoid defeat:  City have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League home games against Liverpool (W7 D5), going down 4-1 in November 2015 under Manuel Pellegrini. Guardiola's team have won their last three top-flight games, but have yet to win four in a row this season. 

Long shot – Liverpool to win:  Liverpool have won more Premier League games against reigning champions than any other side (23). They are aiming to achieve their first such double since 2013-14, beating Manchester United 1-0 at home and 3-0 away. However, they have taken just 12 points from their 13 Premier League away games this season (W3 D3 L7), compared to 30 at home.

Opta prediction: Despite the fierce rivalry over recent years, City are the big favourites for this game, with Opta's supercomputer ranking their chances of victory at 50.9 per cent. The draw is at 26.4 per cent, with Liverpool handed a 22.7 per cent chance of success.

 

Arsenal v Leeds United

Leeds have won just two of their 23 Premier League games against the league leaders (D9 L12), though both victories came away from home (v Middlesbrough in August 2000 and Man City in April 2021). They have lost all four such games against Arsenal by an aggregate score of 14-2.

Arsenal have won their last six Premier League games, their joint-longest such run under Mikel Arteta. They last won seven in a row between August and October 2018 under Unai Emery.

Arsenal’s top scorer in the Premier League this season is Gabriel Martinelli with 13 goals. The last player to score more while aged 21 or under in a single campaign in the division was Dele Alli in 2016-17 (18).

Best bet – Bukayo Saka to score or assist: Only Erling Haaland (33) and Harry Kane (23) have been involved in more Premier League goals than Saka this season (22), with the winger the only player so far to reach double figures for both goals (12) and assists (10).

Long shot – Leeds to keep a clean sheet: Since a 0-0 draw in their first Premier League away game against Arsenal in February 1993, Leeds have not drawn or kept a clean sheet in any of their subsequent 13 league visits to the Gunners (W3 L10), shipping 31 goals in total.

Opta prediction: Opta do not give Leeds much chance at Emirates Stadium (15.5 per cent). Arsenal are huge favourites, with a 61.6 per cent win probability, while the draw is ranked at 22.9 per cent.

 

West Ham v Southampton

Coming into this weekend's games, Southampton have picked up the highest share of their Premier League points this season away from home (57 per cent - 13/23). Meanwhile, only Nottingham Forest (77 per cent) have a higher share of points won at home in 2022-23 than West Ham (75 per cent - 18/24).

Southampton have picked up as many points in their six Premier League games under Ruben Selles (8 – W2 D2 L2) as they had in their 17 league matches beforehand (W2 D2 L13).

Sides starting the day bottom of the Premier League have won 11 league matches this season, four more than the whole of last term (seven), and the most in a single campaign in the competition since 2017-18 (12). Southampton have been responsible for three of those victories by bottom-placed sides in 2022-23, a joint-high (also Leicester).

Best bet – James Ward-Prowse to create two chances:  Coming into this weekend's games, only Kieran Trippier (49) has created more chances from set plays than Ward-Prowse (35) in the Premier League this season, while the Southampton captain is the only player to create 25+ chances from both open play (27) and set pieces (35) in the division this term.

Long shot – A goalless draw: No other sides have kept fewer clean sheets in the Premier League this season than Southampton (four) and West Ham (five)

Opta prediction: Despite both of these teams struggling, it is West Ham who Opta give 51.4 per cent chance of claiming all the points. Southampton have been responsible for three of the seven victories by the bottom-placed side this season, but the likelihood of them succeeding this time stands at 21.7 per cent. 

 

Newcastle United v Manchester United

Following their goalless draw at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture, Newcastle are looking to keep a clean sheet in consecutive Premier League games against United for the first time since May 1997.

No player has scored more winning goals in the Premier League this season than Marcus Rashford, with nine of his 14 strikes being the winner. Only two United players have ever scored more winning goals in a single campaign in the competition – Cristiano Ronaldo (12 in 2007-08) and Wayne Rooney (10 in 2009-10).

Coming into this weekend's fixtures, only Bournemouth (38), Nottingham Forest (32) and Leicester (30) have conceded more away goals in the Premier League this season than United (27). Indeed, only in four different Premier League campaigns have the Red Devils conceded more on the road – 1999-00 (29), 2001-02 (28), 2018-19 (29) and 2021-22 (35).

Best bet – United to win: United have won more Premier League away games against Newcastle than any other side (14). However, they have lost two of their last five such visits (W2 D1), having lost just one of their previous 13 at St James' Park. Newcastle are winless in six Premier League games against Man Utd (D2 L4), though the last two have both been drawn.

Long shot – Rashford and Alexander Isak to score: Rashford has been involved in seven goals in his eight Premier League starts against Newcastle (four goals, three assists) – only against Arsenal and Leicester City (nine each) has he been involved in more. Isak, meanwhile, has scored six goals in 10 Premier League appearances for Newcastle this season, including three in his last two. 

Opta prediction: This could prove a big game in the top-four race, with Newcastle only three points behind third-placed United. The visitors are made very slight favourites (36.8 per cent to 34.2 per cent). The draw is given a 29 per cent chance.

Everton manager Sean Dyche is focused on the club's fight to avoid relegation after the Toffees were referred to an independent commission over an alleged breach of the Premier League's financial rules.

Last week, the Premier League alleged Everton had broken the competition's profitability and sustainability rules during the 2021-22 season, which they finished in 16th place.

Everton ended last season four points clear of the relegation zone, but the Merseyside club have found themselves embroiled in another battle to stay in the top flight this term.

With reports suggesting Everton could face a point deduction, a club statement said the Toffees were "prepared to robustly defend" their position.

Asked about the alleged breach on Thursday, Dyche said: "There is no situation at the moment. The club's statement covers everything. I'm happy to go along with that. 

"I'm more focused on what's going on on the pitch, obviously. The club have assured me the statement is correct and the rest of it will come down to the powers that be to do what they have to do.

"At the minute, we are really focusing on what is going on now. Of course there are background views on the future but I'm working with the squad now, working to get more points and to make sure we get what we all want, which is to be in the Premier League."

Everton sit two points above the bottom three ahead of Monday's meeting with Tottenham at Goodison Park, having salvaged a 2-2 draw at Chelsea prior to the international break.

Dyche also confirmed striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is "back out on the grass" and progressing well from injury, but he not yet ready to participate in full sessions.

Hugo Lloris could feature for the first time in almost two months when Tottenham visit Everton on Monday, having recovered from a knee injury to return to full training.

Spurs captain Lloris sustained the injury during a 1-0 win over Premier League champions Manchester City on February 5, causing him to miss the team's last nine matches.

Fraser Forster has deputised throughout that spell, which has seen Spurs exit the Champions League and the FA Cup, while they parted company with boss Antonio Conte after a 3-3 draw at Southampton prior to the international break.

While Lloris' return provides a boost for acting head coach Cristian Stellini, full-back Emerson Royal has joined Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies and Richarlison on the injury list.

"Hugo is training," Stellini told Spurs' website on Thursday. "It's a week where he has trained with the team. 

"We had a training match where we could let Hugo feel the pitch again. We will recover Hugo, but we have problems with other players.

"This is football. We have injured players, but we also believe in all the players. 

"We have a big squad; we also have young players ready, and we trust in them, like we trusted Pape Sarr and Oliver Skipp when they started to play. Young players are involved in our squad and if we need them, they are ready to play."

Everton manager Sean Dyche is focused on the club's fight to avoid relegation after the Toffees were referred to an independent commission over an alleged breach of the Premier League's financial rules.

Last week, the Premier League alleged Everton had broken the competition's profitability and sustainability rules during the 2021-22 season, which they finished in 16th place.

Everton ended last season four points clear of the relegation zone, but the Merseyside club have found themselves embroiled in another battle to stay in the top flight this term.

With reports suggesting Everton could face a point deduction, a club statement said the Toffees were "prepared to robustly defend" their position.

Asked about the alleged breach on Thursday, Dyche said: "There is no situation at the moment. The club's statement covers everything. I'm happy to go along with that. 

"I'm more focused on what's going on on the pitch, obviously. The club have assured me the statement is correct and the rest of it will come down to the powers that be to do what they have to do.

"At the minute, we are really focusing on what is going on now. Of course there are background views on the future but I'm working with the squad now, working to get more points and to make sure we get what we all want, which is to be in the Premier League."

Everton sit two points above the bottom three ahead of Monday's meeting with Tottenham at Goodison Park, having salvaged a 2-2 draw at Chelsea prior to the international break.

Dyche also confirmed striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is "back out on the grass" and progressing well from injury, but he not yet ready to participate in full sessions.

The Premier League has referred Everton to an independent commission over an alleged breach of profitability and sustainability rules.

It was announced by the Premier League on Friday that the Toffees are alleged to have broken the regulations during the 2021-22 season.

Everton finished only four points above the relegation zone last season as Norwich City, Watford and Burnley dropped into the Championship.

The Merseyside club are embroiled in another fight to stay in the top flight, sitting in 15th place and only two points better off than third-bottom West Ham – who have two games in hand on Sean Dyche's side.

Everton face an anxious wait to discover if they will be hit with a points deduction.

A Premier League statement said: "In accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1, the Premier League confirms that it has today referred an alleged breach of the League's profitability and sustainability rules by Everton Football Club to a commission under Premier League Rule W.3.4. The assessment period for which it is alleged that the club is in breach is the period ending season 2021/22.

"Commissions are independent of the Premier League and member clubs. The members of the commission will be appointed by the independent Chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel, in accordance with Premier League Rules W.19, W.20 and W.26.

"The proceedings before the commission will, in accordance with Premier League rule W.82, be confidential and heard in private.

"Under Premier League rule W.82.2, the commission’s final award will be published on the Premier League's website. The League will be making no further comment until that time."

Ellis Simms hailed "a massive point" for Everton after the striker's first Premier League goal earned a 2-2 draw at Chelsea, his late heroics earning praise from Sean Dyche.

The substitute struck in the 89th minute at Stamford Bridge, brushing off Chelsea's Kalidou Koulibaly before beating Kepa Arrizabalaga at his near post.

It was a moment neither the defender nor goalkeeper would want to look at again, but it will live long in the memory for Simms, an Oldham-born youngster who has shown his goalscoring potential in loans with Hearts, Blackpool and Sunderland.

Now he has a goal at the top level of English football, and the point pushes Everton two points clear of the relegation zone.

Everton have now had 13 different goalscorers in the Premier League this season, with only Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds United (14 each) having more.

They have not won in the league at Chelsea since 1994, a barren run of 28 games (D13 L15), but Everton were the side with the most to celebrate on this occasion.

Simms said the equaliser was "100 per cent" the biggest moment of his career.

"It's a great occasion to do it," he told Sky Sports. "I'm delighted for the team as well – a massive point against tough opposition, so we're delighted, we're made up.

"I've been working hard at Everton to come up with this, and it's a dream to come true to get my first Premier League goal.

"It's about patience. I've had to wait for my chance. Obviously we've got top players, so I'm not just going to walk straight into the team I just have to work hard in training and when I get the opportunity I have to take it, grab it with both hands."

 

Simms said there was "massive belief" in the ranks, and manager Dyche spoke glowingly of the 22-year-old, who has started just one league game so far for the Toffees this term, surprisingly being given the nod for February's derby with Liverpool.

"He's a young lad earning his spurs," Dyche said. "We threw him in against Liverpool, it was probably a bit too much on that night, but he's still around the group, he's working hard, he's realising the hard yards are important in the sides I work with, and he's maturing into it.

"He has scored goals, albeit in the Championship, and he's delivered with his pace and his power to break free and then gets a nice finish under the body of the keeper."

Chelsea head coach Graham Potter said his team's general play had been "a step forward", even after recent wins against Leeds United, Borussia Dortmund and Leicester City.

Their defending left plenty to be desired, though, so Joao Felix's low strike and Kai Havertz's penalty were only good enough for a point, leaving Chelsea 10th in the table, with Abdoulaye Doucoure cancelling out the first of the hosts' goals before Simms had his late say.

"I thought the performance overall was positive," Potter said. "We did a lot of things really well, scored a couple of goals, but ultimately didn't defend well enough in a couple of actions which has cost us, and we're disappointed to drop points."

Asked about the late concession, Potter said: "It looked too easy throughout the team, so I was disappointed from my perspective with the second goal, and the first as well.

"It was a positive performance from us overall, but it's hard to say that when you've only got one point."

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